Cold Heart
by Cristiana
Summary: A girl shows up in Rivendell and doesn't remember anything about her life. She meets Legolas and trys to get him to like her, but can she melt his cold heart that was broken by a past love? And what if a suprise from her past comes back to her?
1. Chapter 1 REDONE

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Lord of the Rings. All recognizable characters belong to the genius J.R.R. Tolkien.  
  
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Cold Heart Chapter 1  
  
She woke up in a field of wildflowers. How she got there she didn't know. She sat straight up but fell back down because of the pain in her head. She defiantly wasn't home. But when she started thinking she realized that she didn't know where home was. She couldn't remember anything. She couldn't remember where home was. She didn't even remember her name.  
  
All of the sudden she heard voices coming towards her. She slowly sat up and looked around once more. Her vision was slightly impaired so she could only make out the shapes of two people coming towards her on horses. One of the figures spoke to her in a strange language, and it was very unfamiliar to her. Yet she knew that somehow she should have known what they were saying. She tried to respond but only a hoarse grunt came out of her throat.  
  
"Come, we must get her to the city. She seems to be ill," the voice of a woman said. A heavy cloak was wrapped around her body, and for the first time she realized she was wearing a tunic and breeches. Her hair was messy, but her groggy mind couldn't really distinguish why.  
  
She felt herself slowly being lifted onto something tall. Her weight was shifted around as someone climbed up behind her, holding their arm tightly around her waist.  
  
"I shall send a horse back for you soon, my love," a male voice said from behind the girl. Then suddenly, the thing she was sitting on lurched forward, and somewhere in her mind, the firl realized that she must have been riding a horse. The wind whipped through her hair as the horse galloped across the field as fast as it could run. Eventually, weariness took over and she closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
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The girl woke up again sometime afterward. She felt a soft bed underneath her acing body and pillows as soft as clouds under her head. She slowly sat up and looked around the large room. The bed she was laying in was large enough for 3 people to sleep in comfortably. There was a silk canopy draped over the top of the bed with leaves and wildflowers intertwined in it. Beside the bed was a chair made of cherry wood with intricate carvings on the sides and back. Across from the bed was a fireplace with a small fire dancing merrily in it. Sitting beside the fireplace was a small table with the same carvings as the chair. Upon the table sat a pitcher of water with a small glass beside it.  
  
The throb in her head had receded and was now just a dull ache. Her throat felt very dry and raspy. She grasped the side of the bed to attempt to walk over to the fireplace and soothe her throat with some water. Very easily she slid over to the edge of the bed and grasped the side, pulling herself into a seated position.  
  
When her bare feet touched the cold stone floor, she almost jumped back onto the bed. But the despite the coolness of the floor, she stood unsteadily. Taking a shaky step, she let out a sigh of relief that she had remained upright. She attempted to take another step and this time wasn't so lucky. Her legs gave way and she crashed to the floor.  
  
Suddenly someone rushed into the room and to her side. He helped her stand up again and led her back to the bed with a reassuring hand on her back. She gratefully climbed in bed and made a mental note to herself not to try to get out of the bed until she was strong enough.  
  
She now looked back at the man whom had helped her. He was tall with shoulder length black hair. He had a regal look about him as though he held a high position. The most interesting thing about him were his ears. They were shaped like a leaf, rounded on the bottom but pointed nearer to the tip. He noticed her staring at him and she blushed.  
  
"Hello, my lady. I am Lord Elrond. Welcome to Rivendell," he said.  
  
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A/N: I would like to thank you for reading this chapter, and hope that you continue to read more of the story. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Lord of the Rings. All recognizable characters belong to the genius J.R.R. Tolkien. Anna belongs to me.  
  
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Cold Heart Chapter 2  
  
The tall man stood towering over her. He had just said that she was in Rivendell. Why did that name sound so familiar to her? Had she been here before?  
  
"My name is Lord Elrond, is there something that you need? You really shouldn't be out of bed," Lord Elrond said. She motioned to the water glass beside the fireplace. Lord Elrond walked over to the fireplace. He slowly picked up the water pitcher and poured a small amount of water into one of the glasses that sat beside the pitcher. Lord Elrond walked back over to her and handed her the glass. She took it and drank the water down quickly.  
  
Lord Elrond chuckled and said, "There is more water where that came from, no need to rush. You can have all you want." He took her cup and filled it up again. Before coming back over he stoked the flames that had gone out. He stood by the fire for a moment and then sighed. Coming back over to the bed he handed the girl the glass of water and sat down in the chair.  
  
"I know that you are ill and would probably rather sleep, but could you answer some questions for me?" He asked her. This was bound to happen sooner or later the girl told herself.  
  
"It is not a problem Lord Elrond. What exactly would you like to know?" she said to him.  
  
"Well, first of all I would like to know your name and where you hail from," he replied getting more interested by this girl with every passing moment.  
  
The girl sighed and looked down at the glass still in her hands. How and I going to answer this question? Should I just tell him the truth or make something up? She rolled the now empty water glass around in her hand. It had a depiction of a horse drinking from a small stream. There were large mountains behind the horse towering over it.  
  
She looked over at Lord Elrond. He was watching her every movement, obviously trying to figure out what she was thinking. The silence in the room was deafening and hung around her like a thick haze. She took a deep breath. "I don't remember anything before waking up in a large field full of flowers. I don't know my name or where I came from."  
  
Lord Elrond looked at her curiously. She had a nervous look on her face, as though she was terrified of some unknown fear. He then spoke. "Do not be afraid, I will not harm you. I will help you find out about your past. Do not worry," He smiled, "but in the meantime you will need a name. Let me see, how about Anna? Will that suit you?"  
  
"It's beautiful, Lord Elrond, thank you," she replied. Lord Elrond slowly rose from the chair. He walked over to the window and opened up a set of doors. A cold gray light came in. Lord Elrond stood for a moment and looked over the landscape. Anna couldn't see what it looked like, but by the look on Lord Elrond's face, she knew it had to be glorious. He then walked towards the door that he had rushed through earlier. He stopped before it and looked back over at Anna.  
  
"If you are ready to get out of bed I will send my daughter, Arwen, to see to you. Breakfast is in an hour if you would like to join us. You are welcome stay here at Imladris as long as you wish," He said.  
  
"Thank you for everything, Lord Elrond. I am most indebted to you," Anna replied. Lord Elrond just nodded his head and left. Anna lay back down in bed. Just sitting up talking to Lord Elrond was exhausting, but she wanted to find out more about this place. She slowly closed her eyes and let sleep claim her.  
  
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Arwen knocked softly on the girl's door. Her father had asked her to help this young girl ready for breakfast. No one answered so she opened the door noiselessly and crept inside. The young girl whom she had rescued from the field over 5 miles from Rivendell was laying stretched out across her bed, obviously asleep. Arwen walked lightly over to the bed and gently called out Anna's name. Her father had told her all about how this girl couldn't remember anything about her life and he had given her the name Anna. "Lady Anna, please wake up. It is time for you to be readying for breakfast." All that answered her was a grunt from the girl that was sleeping very deeply.  
  
Arwen decided to draw a bath and lay out clothes for Anna when she woke up. She walked into an adjoining room that had a large tub centered in the middle of the room with small steps leading up to it. She filled the tub with steaming water and placed several jars holding various types of soap on the edge of the bath. She then went to a closet and pulled out a few fluffy white towels.  
  
Seeing that everything was done in there, Arwen went back into the main room. Anna was now wrapped in blankets. She was so wrapped up in the various sheets and blanket in fact, Arwen thought to herself, Anna would probably not be able to get out of them. And Arwen was right. She walked over to Anna and said," Lady Anna, Lady Anna, please wake up."  
  
Anna shot out of bed. Well, she would have if she hadn't been so wrapped up in blankets. She tried to untangle herself from the blankets, but very ungracefully fell off of the bed. Anna landed in a heap on the floor. Arwen bent down and helped Anna find her way out of the mess of sheets and blankets.  
  
"Thank you. I was afraid I would never get out of there!" Anna said. She stood up slowly, remembering what happened last time she got out of bed.  
  
Arwen laughed softly to herself and answered, "You are very welcome. There is a bath drawn for you in there," she pointed to the bathroom. "And there are clothes in that closet over there," she pointed to the closet on the other side of the room, "if you need any help I'll be in the next room."  
  
"Thanks, I'll remember that," Anna said. Arwen walked into the next room that had a small sitting area in it.  
  
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It had been 20 minutes and Anna still hadn't come out of the bathroom yet. Arwen walked over to the door and said," Anna, I think that you need to get out of the bathroom. It's almost time to leave."  
  
Anna got out of the tub and wrapped a white fluffy towel around her. She opened the door to the bathroom and walked into where Arwen was standing beside an open closet door. "Now what should you wear?" Arwen said. She reached into the closet and pulled out a pale green dress. She held it up in front if Anna and smiled. "This is perfect! It matches your eyes," said Arwen. She handed the dress to Anna and dug through the bottom of the closet. She pulled out a pair of green slippers that matched the dress. "Go into the bathroom and change. I'll be waiting out here to fix your hair." Anna obeyed and walked into the bathroom. She looked around the bathroom again. When Arwen had talked about her green eyes she had realized something. She didn't remember what she looked like. On the far wall she found a mirror fogged up by the steam from the water. She went over to the tub and picked up the extra towel that had been laying beside the tub. She walked back over to the mirror and wiped the condensation away.  
  
Anna looked into the mirror at the complete stranger that stood across from her. She had shoulder length brown hair with faint blond highlights. Her eyes were a pale emerald that sparkled in the light of the bathroom. She had long eyelashes and small lips. Her cheeks looked naturally blushed. She brushed her hair away from her ears and saw that they were the same as Lord Elrond's and Arwen's too. They were leaf shaped and came to a point at the tip. Anna gazed at herself for a little while longer, trying to remember something, anything, about herself. She racked her brain for the smallest memory of who she was. Nothing came. She threw the towel down in frustration. She was never going to remember. She would spend the rest of her life not knowing who she was.  
  
She put her dress and shoes on and went back to where Arwen stood looking out the window. Arwen must have heard her walk into the room because she turned around and started to fuss over Anna's hair.  
  
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Finally, after 10 minutes Arwen was satisfied with Anna's appearance and they started off the breakfast. Arwen walked down corridor after corridor and it almost made Anna start to get dizzy. They were walking past a small courtyard when Arwen suddenly stopped. There was a man sitting on a bench looking as though he were deep in thought. Arwen walked out towards the man and he looked up. He smiled at he approaching figure and stood up to greet her. He took her hand and lightly kissed her. They started talking in a language that Anna remotely remembered as the tongue that she had heard in the field. Even though she seemed to be the same race as Lord Elrond and Arwen she couldn't understand what they were saying. Maybe she had once known it, but it was an elusive thought to her now. She stood there a few moments before the man noticed her standing there. He let go of Arwen's hand and moved over to Anna.  
  
"Hello, my lady, how are you feeling?" He asked Anna.  
  
She smiled and replied," I am doing well." She looked over his face to try to remember if she had met him before. He noticed her confusion and laughed.  
  
"You probably don't remember me. My name is Aragorn. I was with Arwen when we found you in the field. Although you do look familiar, have we met before?" Aragorn asked her.  
  
Anna sighed," I am not sure. I-I don't remember anything about my past. We may have but I do not know."  
  
Arwen noticed how uncomfortable she was getting and said," Anna, why don't you go to the dining hall. I will be there shortly. Aragorn wishes to speak with me."  
  
Anna shrugged," Sure that's fine. But how do I get there?"  
  
Arwen laughed and said," Oh yes, you take this hall all of the way down to the end, then go through a door on the left. Then go through the second door on the right. Then take that hall all the way down to the third door. There you should find the dining hall. Do you remember that?"  
  
"Um, no can you please repeat that?" Anna said. Arwen told her another two times how to get to the dining hall. When Anna said that she had finally remembered it, Aragorn took Arwen's hand and walked to opposite direction. Anna headed to the dining hall.  
  
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Anna had been walking around for what seemed like hours, but was in reality probably about half an hour. She stood in a hall surround by doors and sighed. There was no way that she was going to get to the dining hall. She kept walking and planned to ask the next person that she saw where the dining hall was. But she had walked through corridor after corridor and didn't come upon anyone.  
  
Anna just stopped after a while. Her feet were getting tired and she needed to rest. She leaned up against a wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. She sighed. She was still rather weak and just walking around for 45 minutes had made her extremely tired. Anna leaned her head back against the wall and fell asleep.  
  
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A/N: This took so long to write. I had the horrible writer's block. DIE WRITER'S BLOCK DIE! Sorry. I'm going through sugar withdrawal, there is no sugar in my entire house except for that plain confectioners sugar, but that is a last resort! LOL, anyway, I now that I am probably scaring a lot of people that are reading right now, so I'll stop rambling about sugar. Well, I hope that you liked this chappy. I'll try to write another chapter soon, but I have a couple of stories going right now so I don't know when I'll be able to post it. Please Review! Namarie. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Lord of the Rings. All recognizable characters belong to the genius J.R.R. Tolkien. Anna belongs to me.  
  
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Cold Heart Chapter 3  
  
Anna woke and looked around the room. The last thing that she remembered was falling asleep in the corridor in the vastness of Rivendell, trying to find the dining hall. But she wasn't in the corridor anymore. Nor was she even in her room. This room was much larger than the one she was staying at.  
  
She got up out of the bed and walked around the room. The bed she had been laying in was twice as large as hers, with silken sheets with large down pillows and an enormous blanket. Off to the left there was a door. Anna walked to it slowly and came to a large sitting area. A huge fire danced in the fireplace and there were couches and chairs in a half circle around the fireplace.  
  
There were two more doors on the opposite side of the room. One led to the bathroom, and the other led to a small sunroom with a desk in the middle of it and papers strewn across the desk. Anna walked into each of these rooms, rather curious to where she was and then she spotted the balcony off of the main living area. She walked out and the view took her breath away. She stood above a forest of green that stretched as far as the eyes could see. The sun was setting over the mountains on the western horizon. The sky was splashed with sparkling colors of red and orange that surrounded the golden sun. Anna stood gazing out at the mesmerizing landscape, and didn't even notice the figure come up behind her. She felt a hand lay on her arm and she looked up into the face of a man with long blond hair. He looked at her for a moment and turned his gaze out to the landscape around him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and inhaled to sweet scent in the air.  
  
"'Tis beautiful, is it not?" He asked Anna.  
  
She stood for a moment still watching his face. He turned around and looked at her again. Anna blushed and answered, "Yes, it is very beautiful. This is the first time that I've seen it, I think, but it seems so familiar to me." She stopped and turned away. She didn't want everyone to know about what had happened to her. How she had lost her memory.  
  
"Who are you and why am I in your room?" asked Anna after a while. She knew that it didn't sound that polite, but she was getting rather frustrated with the elf just staring out at the trees and not talking to her. The man laughed and turned back to look at her face. His blonde hair fell across his face and he brushed it gently behind his ear. Anna noticed that his ears were just like hers. He was the same race as her, and she wanted to ask which exactly that was, but she didn't want to seem any more rude than she had already sounded.  
  
"My name is Legolas from Mirkwood. Arwen sent me to look for you when you didn't show up for breakfast. I found you in the hallway a little ways from here. Since my rooms were closer I brought you here," he replied simply. "What is your name, my lady?"  
  
"An-Anna," she stuttered. She didn't know why, but she felt uncomfortable around him. There was something unsettling about his silence.  
  
Legolas looked into her pale emerald eyes, looking for a sign of any emotion. He saw confusion and fear. He could understand the confusion, but fear? Why would she fear anything here in Rivendell? This was one of the safest places she could be in Middle-earth.  
  
He moved his piercing gaze from her eyes to her face. She was angelic. There was no other word to describe her. Her light brown hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. She had pale skin and looked like a normal elf. But her eyes, they danced and always had a slight twinkle in them whenever she smiled. She is beautiful. Legolas thought to himself. She then noticed him staring at her and blushed, as did he. He smiled, and then stopped. No, I cannot do this. Not again. He reprimanded himself.  
  
Anna was watching Legolas's face, trying to find that hidden emotion that he did not seem to want to share with her. Suddenly, his look became very distant, as though he was thinking of things long forgotten until then. He placed his lips in a straight line and his gaze became ever more piercing. "Shall I escort you back to your room?" his voice was cold and stiff. She nodded, finding no word to come out of her mouth. What had just happened? He had been very friendly up until a few moments ago. Then it was like he suddenly decided that he didn't like her. Legolas held out his arm and motioned for her to follow. He led the way outside into the corridor. She slowly followed behind him. She had to find out if she had done or said something wrong.  
  
Anna caught up with Legolas and gently touched his forearm. He snapped his head in her direction. "I-I was just wondering w-what was wrong. You look troubled," she stuttered. He stopped walking and turned fully around to look at her.  
  
"No, nothing is wrong, but that you for your concern," he said rather icily. He started to walk back down the corridor.  
  
Anna's eyes were now filled with concern. He was hiding something and it was bothering him tremendously. "Are you sure that there is nothing wrong?" she asked a little unsteadily.  
  
At these words Legolas's head snapped back around and he stalked over to where Anna stood silently in the middle of the corridor. "It is none of your business what is wrong. I told you it was nothing, leave it at that," he said nastily, his eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
Anna summed up her courage, and practically yelled at him, "I was just wondering what was wrong! We just met, how can you be-." But Legolas grabbing her arm and pulling her closer to him cut her words short.  
  
"That's right, we just met. What gives you the right to get into my personal life like that? Why do you think that you can just get into everyone else's business?" he hissed into her ear. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a hand wrapped itself around Legolas's wrist, making him let go of Anna's arm. Legolas didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.  
  
"Lady Anna, may I speak with you a moment?" Aragorn asked her, staring hard at Legolas.  
  
"Of course, Aragorn," she said as Aragorn handed her his arm. She took it and he walked swiftly away, still staring bitterly at Legolas. Anna didn't even look back.  
  
After a few minutes of walking in silence, Aragorn spoke. "I am sorry about Legolas. He has been rather different as of late. He is usually a very kind person. He does not mean to speak so harshly."  
  
Anna was quiet for a moment, considering what to say in response. "That does not give him the right to be so mean when asked a simple question, acting different or not," she said. She was about to say more, but Aragorn stopped in front of her room. He took her hand in his and held it for a moment, before slowly bringing it up to his lips and kissing it.  
  
"I will speak to him, Lady Anna," Aragorn replied quickly, before walking back down the corridor and around the corner, out of sight. Anna walked into her room and flung herself on the bed.  
  
"This has not been a very good day," she muttered to herself.  
  
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Aragorn stalked down the hallway, towards one of the more secluded gardens in Lord Elrond's house. He knew Legolas would be there. Walking out into the moonlit courtyard, Aragorn headed for the large tree planted in the center.  
  
"Legolas, I need to speak with you," Aragorn called up into the tree.  
  
No response.  
  
"Legolas, I know that you are there. Please come down. I need to speak with you about a matter of importance and I would prefer not to have to climb into a tree," said Aragorn. Legolas jumped out of the top of the tree and landed silently behind Aragorn, not making a sound.  
  
"Legolas, son of Thranduil, if you do not get out of that tree-," but he was cut off by Legolas leaning down to whisper in his ear.  
  
"What is it that you wish to speak with me about?" he said almost inaudibly into Aragorn's ear. Aragorn jumped away with a yelp. He turned around and glared at Legolas.  
  
"Why must you sneak up on me? That is a very childish game and I wish not to be a part of it," said Aragorn sternly. Legolas was doubled over in laughter, not hearing a word Aragorn had said. This had been a game that they had played ever since the two had met, which was some years ago. Aragorn had always tried to do this same thing to Legolas, but it had not worked very much considering that elf's sensitive ears could pick up many sounds.  
  
Legolas was still laughing, but it had receded quite a bit now, and was just a soft chuckling. He caught his breath and smiled. "Yes, Aragorn. What were you saying?"  
  
Aragorn continued to glare at Legolas. "I would like to speak to you about Lady Anna."  
  
Legolas's smile faded. Somehow he knew that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation. "What about her?" he said grimly.  
  
"I would like to know why you were rude to her earlier today. She did nothing wrong; she was only a little curious, and concerned for you," Aragorn asked curiously.  
  
"She had no right, Aragorn, no right. She did not have to keep pressing the matter. She is very kind and very beautiful, but I do not wish for my personal thoughts to be discussed openly at this time," Legolas said.  
  
"Legolas, she has been through a terrible ordeal. How do you think that you would feel if you couldn't remember who you were or where you came from? She deserves more respect than this," Aragorn said, getting rather frustrated with the prince's stubbornness. Legolas just ignored him and turned to leave.  
  
He got halfway across the garden before Aragorn called to him, "Is this about Elena?" Aragorn regretted asking the question the moment the words escaped his lips.  
  
Legolas stopped in his path. He turned toward Aragorn." I do not want to hear that name ever again. Never," Legolas said almost inaudibly, that Aragorn only heard it from having sharp ears because of being a Ranger.  
  
Legolas turned back around slowly and walked noiselessly back to his room.  
  
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A/N: Thank you so much for reading this chapter. I don't have writer's block anymore! Yay! I have finally decided the general outcome of my story. I changed the plot a bit with someone falling for Anna while she is falling for Legolas. The ending is going to be rather odd, but that isn't going to come up for a while, so I'll really worry about that when I get there. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. And if you did then review. Pretty Please?  
  
And I would like to thank Rachael, who had to sit there forever listening (well I don't know if it is listening since it was an IM) to me go on and on about this story and helping me with some of the decisions that I had to make regarding it. Anywayz thanks a bunch, Rachey : ) 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Lord of the Rings. Any recognizable characters belong to the genius J. R. R. Tolkien. Anna belongs to me.  
  
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Cold Heart  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Anna walked through the darkened gardens of Rivendell. After her confrontation with Legolas the other day she could not sleep. She had tossed and turned all through the night, and then decided that she wouldn't be able to sleep.   
  
She walked silently through the corridors, remembering the way she had come so she wouldn't get lost again. She came upon a garden that was absolutly beautiful. Maybe she would be able to clear her head and think in this peaceful surrounding. She came into the garden and walked over to a large beech tree.   
  
Anna sunk to the ground with her back against the tree, thoughts running through her mind about her past and Legolas. Her past was totally elusive. No memories came to her mind. And Legolas. Legolas perplexed her. He had been so nice to her when she first woke up. He had made her feel warm all over by the their closeness, and his eyes boring into hers, not merely looking, but searching her very soul. She decided that she should try and talk to him again, get to know him better and maybe figure out whats troubling him.  
  
There was a movement in the trees above her. She looked up quiclky and saw an elf sitting in the tree. (A/N: She know what and elf is now. I had written a part in this chapter about her asking Arwen about it, but it made the chapter too long so I cut it out. So Anna knows what and elf is and that she is one also.) His golden hair glimmered in the moonlight. He sat tall and proud, his strong shoulder leaned up against the tree a few branches above her.  
  
At first she thought it was Legolas and rose to her feet to leave the garden, she wasn't ready to talk with him yet she need to figure a few things out, when the elf sopke to her.  
  
"Good evening, my lady. What brings you out here in the middle of the night?" His voice was smooth and melodus. He slipped off the branch and landed softly on the ground. He walked over to Anna and lifted her hand to his lips. He kissed it lightly, sending a tingle through her hand.  
  
Now that she had a better look at his face, she realized that this was not Legolas, but a different elf.  
  
"Good evening. I felt restless and could not sleep, so I came out for a walk. My name is Anna," she replied. This elf was captivating. His blue eyes looked deeply into hers.  
  
"Anna, that is a beautiful name. I am Haldir of Lorien," he told her, his eyes never leaving hers.   
  
Anna shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. He noticed this and turned his gaze to the twinkling stars in the net of darkness above them. "It is beautiful out tonight. Nights like this make me miss my home in Lothlorien."  
  
"Will you tell me about Lothlorien?" Anna asked him with her eyes as wide and curious as a childs.  
  
Haldir could not help but chuckle at the wonderous look on her face. "Certainly." He took her hand in his and led her over to a marble bench that was off to the side of the garden.  
  
Both sat down and Haldir plunged into a description of his home. he told her of the Lord Celebron and Lady Galadriel that ruled over Lothlorien and how they were on their way to visit Lord Elrond.  
  
As he talked of himself, Anna found herself being drawn to this elf. He told her of his job in Lothlorien as being the Marchwarden and his two brothers, Rumil and Orophin.   
  
Suddenly he stopped talking and said to Anna, "I have been talking about myself this whole time. Please tell me about your life and your home."  
  
Anna gulped and looked up at Haldir. She didn't wish for everyone to know about her amnesia, but the way that he looked at her made her want to tell him everything. She shook her head and said to him, "I think that might be a tale for another time."  
  
Haldir nodded and at that time a she-elf walked into the garden. "Haldir, there is a matter that needs your attention." He nodded and turned to Anna, "I must leave for now. We should continue or converstation antoher time." He kissed Anna's hand again and strode out of the garden. Anna sighed as she got up and went back to her room. She now had much more to think about.  
  
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Legolas threw the book down on the flooor. He sighed and put his head in his hands, massaging his temples. He had been siting in Lord Elrond's study trying to read. But his thoughts strayed to Anna.  
  
Anna. What had happened that night? Why had he snapped at her so suddenly. Was it just the fact that she was pressing a subject or the subject itself?  
  
Legolas had been so deep in thought that he didn't hear the door slowly open. Elrond walked into the room and picked up the book that Legolas had thrown aside. He looked down at the cover of the book.  
  
"Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel will be arriving shortly. There will be a feast held in their honor this evening. I would like you to escort Lady Anna there," Elrond said never looking up from the cover of the book in his hands.   
  
"I do not think that would be wise, Lord Elrond," Legolas replied. Elrond threw him a peircing look.  
  
"And why would that be a problem?" Elrond asked, Legolas trying not to weaken under his gaze.  
  
Legolas shifted uneasily in his seat. "We had an...argument, you might say. I do not think it would be wise for us to speak with each other yet. I have been trying to catch her eyes during dinner to apologize for my actions, but she will not speak with me. I do not know what to do."  
  
Elrond sighed and frowned, "I know what happened between you and Anna. I think that it would be best if you two spent some time together."  
  
Legolas opened his mouth to speak, but Elrond but his hand up to silence him. "Do you not think I know everything that goes on in my own house?" Elrond asked. He set the book on the table and looked at up at Legolas, "You will escort Anna to the feast tongiht, Legolas. We shall not discuss this subject any further ." With that he turned and left the room.   
  
Legolas stood up and walked over to the window. Lord Elrond seemed to be trying to pair to two up. He might get to know her as a friend, but maybe not even that. He promised not to give his heart to anyone again, not after Elena. He shook the thoughts out of his head as he looked off into the distance.  
  
A small dust cloud was rising off a little way away from the Ford. Through the cloud he could make out to lead horses. There were two, both of them were whitish in color and gleamed in the sun. Riding upon them were the Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.  
  
He smiled to himself. He had not seen the fair Lady of Lorien for many years now. He walked away from the window and into the corridor outside the room. He made his way through the maze of corridors until he came to the front gate. He wanted to be there to greet the leaders of Lothlorien.   
  
He chuckled softly to himself as he heard the elves of Rivendell chatting excitedly with one another about to important elves arriving. Legolas looked around the ground for a minute before his eyes stopped on an elf not too far away from him. The elf stood there with his arms crossed watching to approaching party of elves. Legolas felt a flash of anger run through him as he watched the elf standing before him. The one elf that he didn't want to see.  
  
"Haldir," he whispered angrily to himself.   
  
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A/N: Thank you for reading this and I am sorry if there were some typos but I got a different computer and it only had Notepad on it, so I didn't have the spell check that I would usually have on MS Word. Guess what! I got to go see Pirates of the Carribean on Wednesday. *does a happy dance* It is so awesome, everyone must see this movie! Also if anyone has any ideas or events that they wish the see in the story then put them in your review of e-mail me and let me know.  
  
I will be posting a story soon that my friend and I are co-writing soon, so look out for that. Its one of those girls fall into middle earth, but I hope that you will still read and review it. My friend is in Indiana this week so I won't be able to post the first chapter for a few days.  
  
So what did you think? Please review!   
  
Here are some responses to the reviewers of Chapter 3:  
  
ice_dragon, I like the name Tahl too. But some people might think that I meant Tahl from Star Wars and they would get confused. I picked Anna because I liked it and it also means something in elvish.  
  
Aarien Star, You will find out who Elena is soon. Within the next couple of chapters actually. I also added a little twist on the story as you see at the end of this chapter and throughout the rest of the story.  
  
PrincessofMirkwood, Thanx for reviewing. I relly enjoy getting great reviews, they are a writer's best friend! Long live the Fangirl Rebellion! lol  
  
ELK, Thank you for reviewing this story from the very beginning. I will keep it going if you keep on reviewing!  
  
lala, I don't exactly know what a Mary-sue is, but I get the general idea. I was kind of hoping this wouldn't be one, but once I started writing I found it was inevidable. *sighs* O well. And yes Anna does mean 'gift'. I was got this book at the mall called The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth. I was looking for an Elvish word that would work as a name, and maybe one that was a real name. Anna is the name if the Y letter of Tengwar.  
  
dragonfly, Yeah, I kind of get tired of reading those kind of stories so I decided to write one the exact opposite. Even though I do enjoy some of those kind. If you get a chance read Broken by Dinathiel. Thats one of those that has the girls with the cold heart, but its really good. 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I've given a disclaimer for the past four chapters, so I am guessing that you know that I don't own anything from LOTR. I do own Anna though.  
  
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Cold Heart  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Anna sunk lower in the bath water as she heard someone enter her chambers. She had decided to bath quickly before the feast was to start. She wanted to make the best impression that she could for the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien. They were supposed to be some of the most powerful elves in Middle-earth.   
  
A soft knock came at the bathroom door. Anna sighed heavily and pulled herself out of the soothing water. She wrapped a large towel around her body and opened the door. There stood Arwen holding the most beautiful gown that Anna had ever seen. Well, seen that she could remember anyway.   
  
The gown was a pale lavender color. It was sleeveless and had flowery designs embroidered down the left side, all the flowers in assortment of purples.   
  
Arwen smiled at the look of wonderment on Anna's face. She had had this dress made especially for Anna and especially for this occasion. She knew that Anna would like the color because they had been walking through the gardens one day and Anna had loved the color of one of the flowers. The color of the dress wasn't the exact color, but it was close enough.  
  
Anna tore her eyes away from the dress and said, "It's beautiful. Where did you get it? I have seen the beautiful dresses that the elves have worn here in Rivendell, but none this fine."  
  
"I had it especially made for you. It is almost the same color as the flower in the garden that you liked so much. Put it on I want to see how it looks on you," Arwen said and handed the dress over to Anna.  
  
Anna just smiled and closed the door to the bathroom. She quickly slipped into the dress and came out to show Arwen. When Arwen saw it her eyes lit up. "It's perfect for you," she said," now let me do your hair." She pushed Anna down in front of a vanity and started to fix her hair. She braided it down Anna's back and wove jewels the color of the gown throughout it. When she was finished she made Anna stand in front of the mirror and look at herself.   
  
"You look great!," Arwen said to Anna after a few minutes," I must go and get ready now for the feast starts in an hour. Someone will be up soon to escort you to the dining hall. I will see you at the feast." With a quick nod of her head, Arwen left.  
  
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Legolas hesitated in front of Anna's door. He wasn't quite sure how she would react to him taking her to dinner. 'Why am I so nervous?' he thought to himself 'I am an elven warrior, Prince of Mirkwood, and yet I am scared to escort a lady to dinner.' He brought his hand up to the door and knocked softly. He heard a soft "Come in" and opened to door slowly. It swung open silently and Legolas looked around the room, he didn't see Anna anywhere. Then he noticed the doors to the balcony were open.   
  
He walked towards them and saw Anna leaning against the railing looking out over the land. She quickly turned to his approaching footsteps and smiled. Legolas was a little taken aback by her smiling at him. He walked over to her and held out his arm. She took it and they walked back into the corridor on their way to the dining hall. Both were silent for a few moments before Legolas spoke. "I would like to apologize for what I said the other day. That is very unlike me and I hope that you will forgive me for my foolish behavior."  
  
"I forgive you, and I hope that we can be friends. I really would like to get to know you," Anna replied. Legolas merely nodded as they approached the dining hall. Elves of all kinds were talking and laughing with each other.  
  
Legolas led her over to the head of the table. He pulled out her chair for her and she seated herself in it. He sat down in the empty seat next to her. She looked around the table. Sitting next to Legolas was an old man. At the head of the table was Lord Elrond. On his right was a tall elf with silver hair that she assumed was Lord Celeborn. Sitting next to him was a she-elf with long blond hair with a natural glow around her. 'This had to be Galadriel' Anna thought to herself. Across from her was an empty seat, and then the rest of the elves around her she didn't know.   
  
Elrond noticed Anna sitting there and said," Good evening Lady Anna. It is nice to see that you are feeling better. I would like to introduce you to Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel. He waved hi hand over at the two elves sitting beside him. The older man beside him cleared his throat and Elrond laughed. "Oh yes, and this is Mithrandir," he said motioning to the man on his left.  
  
"It is nice meeting you Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel, and Mithrandir," Anna said softly. Both Celeborn and Mithrandir nodded as they went back to their conversation with Elrond, but Galadriel stared at Anna.   
  
*Hello Anna* Anna heard in her head and her eyes got wide. Who was talking in her head?  
  
*It is I, Galadriel. It is wonderful to see you again* she said. Anna sighed.   
  
*I am sorry, but I do not remember you. When did we meet?* Anna asked Galadriel through her mind. Galadriel smiled. This had to be her. But what was she doing here in Rivendell. She should be in Lothlorien.  
  
Just then an elf sat down beside Galadriel. Anna smiled and said,"Haldir, it is good to see you again." Legolas looked up from his conversation with Mithrandir at the sound of the elf's name.  
  
"It is wonderful to see you again. I was hoping to finish our conversation from last night," he said smoothly. He looked over at Legolas and said," Hello to you also Prince Legolas. It has been a long time since I have seen you last." Anna choked on the water she had been drinking. So Legolas was a prince.   
  
Legolas scowled and said to Haldir," And for good reason too. Do you not remember?"  
  
Haldir frowned and said," Yes I remember. And I would like to talk with you about that later this evening."  
  
Legolas replied," What more is there to talk about?" Just then music started playing and elves got up to start dancing. Legolas turned to Anna and said," Will you dance with me?"  
  
Anna hesitated. She didn't know how to dance, but she wanted to get to know Legolas more so she stood up and took his arm. He led her out to the dance floor. Anna put her hand on his shoulder while her put his on her waist. They joined hands and started to dance.   
  
She looked up at him and said," Prince Legolas. Why didn't you tell me that you were a prince before?"  
  
He laughed. "Would you have treated me differently?"  
  
"No. Well, maybe."  
  
"That is why I didn't tell you. I am tired of people gawking at me and doing everything for me just because I am a prince. It gets tiring after a while."  
  
Anna just nodded and they continued dancing in silence. The song ended and they pulled apart.   
  
"Thank you for the dance, Lady Anna. Would you care to join me for a walk in the gardens?" Legolas asked. Anna was about to respond when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked over her shoulder and saw Haldir standing there smiling.  
  
"Lady Anna, would you please join me in a dance?" he asked. Anna hesitated for a moment before responding.   
  
She looked back and forth between Legolas and Haldir before saying," Certainly Haldir." She looked at Legolas's face and it was filled with rage. At first she thought that he was angry with her, but then she followed his gaze behind her to Haldir. "Legolas, can we walk in the gardens later? There is something that I wish to speak with you about."   
  
Legolas looked down at her and his expression softened. "Of course. I will see you later," he said before turning away and leaving to go and speak with some elves across the room.   
  
Haldir took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Another dance started up and they started dancing. "You look beautiful tonight, Anna," Haldir said.  
  
She smiled. "Thank you. You look wonderful too."   
  
Haldir looked over Anna's shoulder to Legolas's icy glare that was fixed on him. He pulled Anna closer to him and whispered in her ear," I think that someone is jealous." He nodded his head towards Legolas. Anna turned around and saw Legolas staring at them. She smiled at him, but he didn't return it. He excused himself from the group of elves that he was talking to and with one last look at Anna left the hall.   
  
Anna tried to pull away from Haldir, but he held her more tightly up against him and said," Don't worry about him. He was probably just going to get fresh air." The dance soon ended and Anna went in search of Legolas.   
  
She searched all through the dining hall and out in the gardens but couldn't find him. She slumped down on a bench and sighed. 'What was his problem when he saw Haldir dancing with me?' she thought.   
  
There was a rustle of leaves behind her and she turned around. Coming up behind her on a path was Galadriel. She walked silently up to Anna and sat on the bench beside her.   
  
"It is a lovely night, is it not?" Galadriel asked her. Anna merely nodded. Her thoughts were elsewhere. Galadriel noted this and said," Do not worry about him. He was a little upset about Haldir earlier. He has retired to his room for the evening."  
  
Anna was startled by Galadriel's comment. It was almost like she had read her mind. "Why is it that Legolas hates Haldir so much? What brought this on?" Anna asked.  
  
Galadriel laughed and replied," As inquisitive as always. I do not think that it is right for me to tell you, but I think that you need to know. A while ago Legolas fell in love with a beautiful maiden of Lothlorien named Elena. Legolas was going to ask her to marry him. But another also loved Elena. It was Haldir who had fallen in love with her. Basically he stole her away from Legolas. She was asked to choose between the two and she chose Haldir. Legolas was devastated and from then on refused to give his heart to anyone else."  
  
"Legolas doesn't know this, but the same thing happened to Haldir. Another elf fell in love with Elena and again she was asked to choose. She chose the other elf. Haldir's heart was broken and he also vowed never to fall in love again. But you, young one, you have gotten both of their attentions. I know that you do not mean to, but both of them seeing you has broken their vow to never love again."  
  
Anna just sat there stunned. So Haldir and Legolas were fighting over her. This was so confusing; she didn't know how she felt about them. She didn't know if they were more friends to her or something greater.   
  
Her head snapped up all of the sudden and she said," As inquisitive as always? Did you know me before my memory loss?"  
  
"Yes, I knew you before. I know of your past," Galadriel replied softly.  
  
Anna's face lit up," Will you please tell me who I was? Where I am from. What my real name is?"  
  
Galadriel sighed. "I am sorry to disappoint you, but I cannot tell you of your past. This is something that you must discover on your own. It is up to you to find out who you are." With saying that she stood up and walked out of the garden, leaving Anna in a sea of thoughts. How did she feel towards Legolas and Haldir? Did they both love her, or was it just an infatuation?  
  
Her past would be even harder to unravel. She had secretly hoped that Galadriel would be able to help her. But now she was completely alone.  
  
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A/N: Hey everybody! What did u think? Anything that I can work on? Please review. I am really rushed trying to post this because I am leaving for New York tomorrow and I'll be gone for about a week. I didn't have a chance to proofread this so I'm really sorry if there are any mistakes. Please ignore them and when I get a chance I will go back over it and fix any of the mistakes I see.  
  
Sorry everyone. No responses to the reviews from chapter 4 this time. :( I promise that I'll get to them at the end of the next chapter, which might be a while. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings, unfortunately. None of it belongs to me, but to the genius J.R.R. Tolkien. I do own Anna though.  
  
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Cold Heart  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Over the next couple of days Anna kept to herself. She needed to sort through her thoughts. She would sit on her balcony all day and gaze out into the distance. She would only come down at meal times and then she would hardly talk to anyone.  
  
This bothered Haldir greatly. So one morning before the sun had risen, he crept to Anna's room. He was planning on leaving a note for her when she awoke asking her to accompany him on a horse ride through Rivendell later that afternoon to help her relax a bit.  
  
He opened the door, hoping that it wouldn't squeak and wake her up. Luckily it swung open silently and Haldir slipped through hopefully unnoticed. He knew that Anna wouldn't be awake at this time in the morning, so he hoped that if he were quiet enough she wouldn't wake.  
  
Haldir closed the door behind him and for the first time since he entered the room, looked toward the bed where Anna lay. What he saw tore at his heart.   
  
Anna was twisting and turning on her bed. The blankets that had been on the bed had been thrown off and lay in a heap on the floor. Anna's hands were clenched in fists and her face looked as though she was in a lot of pain. She was whimpering and muttering inaudible things under her breath.   
  
Haldir moved quickly over to the bed and sat down beside Anna. He couldn't stand to watch and more of this. He grasped her shoulders firmly and started shaking her and calling out her name. "Anna, Anna, wake up. Wake up!"  
  
"No, please just..... let me go...... please," she said, not waking up, "Don't hurt me...... no, no...... no."  
  
"Anna, wake up!" Haldir said, his heart wrenching in two. She was having a nightmare and was in terrible pain.  
  
Anna just struggled more, still not waking. "NO...... PLEASE, STOP...... ANYONE HELP ME....... EL-," she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Suddenly she shot forward in the bed, looking around wildly at her surroundings. She was breathing raggedly and slightly shaking.   
  
Just then the door to Anna's room burst open and Legolas jumped into the room with his bow drawn aiming straight at Haldir's head. "What did you do to her?" He growled.   
  
Haldir just ignored him and turned back to Anna, she had calmed down a little. She was sitting on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, crying.   
  
Haldir crawled over to her on the bed and gathered her in his arms. She buried her head in his shoulder and clutched his arms tightly. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist and wiped the streams of tears away from her cheeks before running it down her hair and rocking her back and forth.  
  
"Shhh, it's alright now. You're safe," Haldir whispered in her ear.   
  
"Legolas!" Both elves turned toward the door and saw Elrond standing there. "Drop your bow!" Legolas obediently lowered his bow to the floor and looked back at Elrond.  
  
Elrond walked quickly over to the bed and sat down at the end. "What happened?" he asked Haldir.  
  
"She was having a nightmare, Lord Elrond. I came into her room and she look like she was in pain, terrible pain. I tried to wake her up, but she would just start yelling louder and louder. She stopped crying out when Legolas came in," Haldir replied, now rubbing Anna's back.  
  
Everyone was silent for a moment, listening to Anna cry. Haldir tried to calm her down, but to no avail.   
  
Suddenly she stopped crying and looked over at Elrond. For a moment she just stared when she started whispering so softly, that only elven ears could have heard her.   
  
"Orcs.... hundreds of orcs.... everywhere," she said still looking at Elrond. Haldir was about to say something, but Elrond put a hand up to silence him. Anna continued talking, "Orcs.... surround me.... take me.... separated from them.... he tried to save me.... they tried to save me." At this point now she was sobbing. "They tried.... he got an arrow in his leg.... fell to the ground.... behind him.... watch out.... BEHIND YOU!" she screamed the last part. Then she pulled out of Haldir's arms and wrapped her arms around Elrond's neck. He was taken aback for a moment, but then started to rub her back slowly, trying to calm her.  
  
"Calm down, child, calm down. There are no Orcs here, nothing will get you here," he said quietly, trying to sooth her.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lord Elrond, it's all my fault. They are gone and it's my fault. Please find them, help them," she whispered into Elrond's ear, only loud enough for him to hear. She then went limp in his arms.   
  
Both Haldir and Legolas started moving towards them, but Elrond said, "Don't worry. She is only sleeping. She will be fine now. Legolas," at hearing his name, Legolas stepped forward, "Please take her to the room down that hall from yours and Haldir's rooms. When you are done please come to my study. Haldir please awake Arwen and Aragorn and you three come to my study also. There are some things that we need to discuss."   
  
With saying that he stood up with Anna in his arms and handed her to Legolas. Legolas bowed his head slightly before leaving the room. Haldir stood up from the bed, bowed his head to Elrond also, and left the room. Elrond lingered for a moment before he left also.  
  
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Elrond sat in his study waiting for Haldir and Legolas to come in. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The pale morning light was creeping over the mountains and he was already stressed. Anna had had a nightmare and Elrond was sure that it was some glance into her past.  
  
A knock at the study door pushed Elrond out of his musings. He put on his notorious emotionless face before bidding them to enter.  
  
Haldir came in followed by a worried looking Arwen and Aragorn. "Come and sit down, please. When Legolas arrives we will discuss our problem," Elrond said. Aragorn nodded mutely while Arwen just sat down in a chair in front of the fire. Even though the day was promising warmth the morning was cold and a fire was needed to keep warm in the early morning. Haldir stood by the window and leaned against the wall.  
  
A few moments of silence passed between the elves as they waited for Legolas to arrive. They didn't have to wait long before he came into the study and sat down gracefully, as only an elf could, in a chair across from Elrond. His face filled with concern. "She is fine now, sleeping peacefully," was all Legolas said.   
  
Elrond nodded slightly and said, "Did Haldir tell you about what happened earlier, Aragorn?"  
  
"Enough," Aragorn replied softly.  
  
"Good," Elrond said wearily. Being woken up at 5 in the morning by someone screaming about being attacked was not the ideal way for the Lord of Imladris to wake up. "Because I think that we just got a glimpse into Anna's past." Everyone's head snapped up at this new revelation.  
  
"Are you certain, atar? Have you spoken with grandmother about this yet?," Arwen asked with a note of confusion in her voice.  
  
"No I have not. I was going to do that after I had spoken with you. Now to the reason why I called you all in here this early in the morning. Anna spoke of others that were with her during her attack. If that really is her past, then he companions could be in danger. Since you four are with her the most, I would like you to report to me if you hear her talk about anything that she remembers from the dream. Or remembers anything for that matter.   
  
"Yes, Lord Elrond," Haldir said. He stopped talking for a moment and turned his head. If you had not known what he was doing, then it would look as though he was listening to the air in the room. Elrond knew that was not what he was doing, though. "Lady Galadriel wishes to speak with me," was all he said before turning and swiftly leaving the room.   
  
"Well everyone, I think that it is almost time for breakfast. Come and we shall eat before we continue with the day." Arwen stood and grasped Aragorn's hand in hers as she left the room with Aragorn behind her. Legolas followed them out, leaving Elrond alone in the room. He just sighed heavily and rubbed his temples as a small headache was coming on. 'Today is going to be very eventful,' he thought to himself before he, too, left the room heading for the dining hall.  
  
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A/N: Hehehehe. And things start to get more complicated! Ok people, this might be the last chapter that I can get out in a while since I start school in a little less than a week. I am going to high school this year and I'll probably be really busy for the next couple of weeks so I'm so sorry if I can't get another chapter out for a while, but keep checking back be because you never know.  
  
Guess what! I put a line from Star Wars episode 2 in this chapter! It just seemed like it fit, so I put it in there. And if you can tell me which line it is then I'll give you....... a chocolate covered Legolas! Um, yeah, on second thought I think that I'll keep the chocolate covered Legolas and you can have a.........um........ WOOKIEE COOKIE! Lol. Please review.  
  
Now to responses for chapters 4 & 5! If you reviewed for both chapters then I'm just going to respond to you once, k:  
  
PrincessofMirkwood19: Yeah, fanfiction.net has been rather rude to me lately. Like right when I get to a good part in a fanfic and all of the sudden when I go to the next chapter the server is busy or it cannot even find the server. UGH!  
  
Hillary: I'm writing this as fast as I can! Lol. Actually, I took a teeny-tiny break from writing this story because I was working on my chapter of The Fellowship of the Kiwis that my friend and I are co-writing and I couldn't get it to work right so I asked her to write the next chapter. EEEP! *Runs away from Hillary chasing me with a spoon* I was planning on finishing it, honestly. I don't think that I would ever just abandon a story when I'm this far into it.   
  
Aarien Star: Nope, Anna isn't Elena. Although..... Sorry I can't tell ya. You'll just have to wait and find out!   
  
Willow: *drools right along with you for Orlando Bloom* He looks really good with long hair, but I must say that I like it better blonde than brown.  
  
dragonfly: Yeah, I wanted Haldir to be in one of my fics. I was actually going to have it be Aragorn that like fell in love with her and stuff, but I decided to put my two favorite LOTR characters in it instead. Aragorn is like my 4th favorite character, though. Plus if they get their heart broken, then I can comfort them. *grins evilly*  
  
Lady Idhril: Anna will find out her past soon. And I can guarantee you it's probably not what you're expecting. Lol. And I had a great time in NYC! I am determined to live there when I'm older.  
  
ELK: Thanx bunches for all of your reviews! Orlando Bloom is the best and Pirates of the Caribbean is like one of the bestest movies ever!   
  
Those were just the people that left questions or comments in the reviews that I wanted to answer. There were many more people who reviewed telling me I did a good job and I want to thank then, though I haven't the time at the moment. You know who you are! 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings or any of the characters from it that I use in this story. I do, however, own Anna and the plot.  
  
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IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END! I promise that this one won't be completely my random and senseless babbling.  
  
Cold Heart  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Elrond strode through his garden with his hands behind his back, and mind deep in thought.  
  
As he walked along the small dirt path weaving between the trees to the small, secluded grove a small distance away, he inhaled deeply the sweet scents floating about him.  
  
He stopped on the path suddenly, closed his eyes and released his breath. Slowly he opened his eyes and turned around.  
  
On a stone bench, sat Galadriel staring intently at him. * Please come and join me, there is something we need to discuss * a voice echoed in Elrond's mind. Making his way down the trail, he sat next to Galadriel on the bench.  
  
"How does Anna fare?" Galadriel asked softly. "Haldir told me that she had a nightmare and said some things in her sleep, though he did not elaborate. What exactly did she say?"  
  
"She said that she was surrounded by Orcs, hundreds of them. She was taken by them and seperated from her companions that she was traveling with. Then one of her companions supposidly was shot in the leg by an arrow. Another was attacked from behind. I do not know if there were anymore or not, or whether they were elves, men, or even dwarves. She then leapt into my arms and whispered to me that 'they' were gone and it was all her fault," Elrond replied.  
  
"This is grave news indeed. Her companions could be in trouble if this was more than just a bad dream, and I think that it was more than a dream. They could be in grave danger. They must be looked for immediatly," Galadriel said to him, her demenor slightly more rushed then her usual calm and collected self.  
  
Elrond raised one of his eyebrows incredulously. "I take it that you know whom her companions are." It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
"Aye Elrond, I do. They are indeed elves," she answered him, pain playing across her fair face for a moment before it was wiped away quickly, leaving no trace. Elrond noticed this, but ignored it. Galadriel would tell him in time if he were meant to know.  
  
"And I suppose that you know also of Anna's past as well?" he asked her quizzically.  
  
"Yes, I know that also. I suppose that it is time you knew the truth. She lived in Lothlorien. She was found wandering through the forest when she was but a small child when I was on my way back from here a couple thousand years ago. I took her home to Lorien and Celebron and I looked everywhere for her parents but could not locate them. We figured that it would be best to keep her in Lorien, so we placed her in the care of an elf on the outskirts of the city. She grew up and stayed pretty much to herself and never spoke to anyone, besides her foster mother, Celeborn, and I. That is why Haldir would not recognize her. She was rarly seen by any elf," she risked a glance at Elrond who stared at her in awe.   
  
She then continued, "Many elves sought to court her, but she would have none of it. She was more content to sit beside the Nimrodel and read her books and enjoy the peace of around her. She learned to ignore and be ignored, until . . ." At this part Galadriel stopped, shaking her head, "Nay, I shant continue. I fear that going on will do more harm than good. You are the only one who knows of Anna's true past here besides myself and Celeborn. I would ask you not to repeat it to her or anyone else. Anna most especially, she needs to remember this on her own before she can truly be herself again."  
  
"As you wish," Elrond bowed his head, still a little shocked. "If you will excuse me, my lady, I must see to Anna. Hopefully she has woken up. She might remember her dream." He stood up slowly, as if a heavy burdon had been placed on his shoulders, his mind.  
  
He walked quietly down the path, looking at the cherry trees that were in full bloom, many new things pressing his mind. But how had she gotten all of the way to Rivendell from Lorien? What of the elves that had been with her? What had happened to them?  
  
Before he knew it, Elrond stopped in front of Anna's door. He knocked softly on the it and went in when he heard a quiet "enter" from inside. He turned the door knob and slipped through.  
  
Arwen was sitting in a chair that had been pulled up beside the bed, talking quietly with Anna. Anna was sitting in the bed, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. A blanket was thrown over her shoulders and her brown hair hung limply in her face.  
  
Both women turned to look at Elrond. Arwen smiled and stood up. "Good afternoon, adar. Anna has just awoken not but 10 minutes ago. I was just about to come and get you."  
  
"I would like to speak with Anna alone, daughter. Please wait outside for us?"  
  
Arwen nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. Elrond took the now vacant seat beside the bed. "Anna do you remember what happened this morning?"  
  
"I do not remember a thing, I'm sorry," Anna replied. Elrond sighed at this remark and bowed his head in defeat. If Anna didn't remember what had happened, If she could not remember her dream, then those elves were never going to be found. "Lord Elrond, what happened? Please, tell me," Anna asked him, her head whipping around to look at him.  
  
Elrond noticed the fear in her voice and replied softly, "I think that you dreamed of why you have ammnesia. I do not know for sure, though. You might be remembering what happened through dreams. You were traveling with elves, and they were attacked. They could be in trouble. I ask you again, do you remember anything at all about your dream? This is very important."  
  
Anna's somber face turned angry, "No, Lord Elrond, I do not remember anything about the dream. I understand that this is important. I know not how old I am, and I know that you are probably thousands of years older than me, but I can also guarantee you that I am no child! You need not explain things to me as if I were a small child who did not know anything." Elrond sat there, shocked at what had just been said to him. He was not used to people speaking to him in such a way. The Lord of Rivendell had never been spoken to so harshly before.  
  
Elrond had two choices, he could get angry and demand an apology, or he could stay calm. Staying calm in this situation would probably be best, so taking a deep breath he checked his anger. It was very hard to tell how old she was, and what experiences she had had during her life. She might be more mature than everyone thought her to be, not just some silly little girl. Though Elrond had never really seen her that way, many of the elves of Rivendell had.  
  
"Forgive me, my lord. I did not mean to speak thusly. Will you please tell me what happened? If I know what I might have said or done that might trigger my memory to come back," Anna said meekly, turning her head to look out the window. She had slept all day and the sun was just now setting over the horizon. Elrond turned and looked out the window, too.  
  
Both sat there in silence for a moment, thinking their own thoughts when Elrond stood up suddenly and walked over to the door. He threw it open and told the first elf that passed to ask Lady Galadriel to come quickly. He then closed the door and took his place back in the chair. Anna just stared at him wide-eyed, and Elrond, chuckled to himself, which seemed odd considering the situation, before speaking. "I know a way that we, well, Galadriel, can see your dream. She will be able to 'dreamwalk' you might say into your dream. She can observe what happened and tell whether it was just a mere dream or something real. The only bad thing about this plan is that you will relive the dream over again. The pain and terror, just at you did this morning. Are you willing to do this?"  
  
Anna swallowed hard before responding. She didn't know what the dream was, but the way Elrond made it sound, it was truly awful. "Yes. I will do it. I will do whatever I can to help you."  
  
"Good," a familiar voice said from the doorway, "shall we begin?" Both Anna and Elrond turned towards the door to see Galadriel standing there.   
  
"Yes, my lady, will we do it here?" Anna inquired.  
  
"I don't see why not. Lay down on the bed," Galadriel instructed. She pulled out a velvet pouch from seeminly out of nowhere. She opened her small pouch, almost cautiously, keeping it away from her face. Putting her hand in the pouch, she pulled out a handful of a powder like substance and holding it open in the palm of her hand. She blew it over top of the bed towards Anna. The dust looked like ground crystals as it caught the light of the setting sun and floated in the air, landing over top of Anna.  
  
Anna blinked blearily several times as the drowsiness took her over. In less than a minute her eyes closed completely in a peaceful sleep. "Your peaceful sleep, unfortunatly, won't last for long," Galadriel whispered into the air hoping to reach Anna in her subconcious, even though she knew it to be impossible. She closed her eyes and held her hand hovering inches above Anna's forehead. "Tul burz duroch," Galadriel said loudly, regally, in a tone that demanded respect. As she said these words, she placed her hand fully on Anna's forehead. The instant Galadriel's hand touched her skin, Anna started writhering underneath it, her face twisted in pain.   
  
Galadriel opened her eyes and turned them to Elrond who stood across the room. "And so it begins," she stated grimly before turning back to the task at hand.  
  
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A/N: Ok people, what did you think? I am so sorry for not updating in almost 3 weeks. School has been very hectic and I have had a lot of homework piling up. But I wrote this chapter through 3 class periods on Friday to have it done for you. This chapter is probably the worst chapter I have written for this fic besides the first one, so I apologize. And when I have Galadriel saying elvish, I don't know how to add accents and stuff to it, so you'll just have to live with regular typing. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, so I apologize ahead of time if its a few weeks.  
  
Cry, The Beloved Country is the stupidest book that I have ever read in my whole entire life! It is boring, and is written in something called 'poetic form' which means that there aren't any quotation marks and its just completely pointless!   
  
Alright, now from my ramblings to something important. I am going to stop writing respones to everyones reviews at the end of every chapter and just answer them all together. The other way just takes up too much time. I know that this is a Mary-Sue, ok!!! There have been like 3 people who reviewed saying that this was one, even though I have already stated it in antother chapter, so there is no need to remind me. But this is a Mary-Sue, even though I didn't want it to be when I first started writing it, but I can't really go back and change it now. Also I just wanted so say this fic was not meant to be all that funny. I did make one part remotly funny, but that was about it. This fic is serious, so I don't think that there will be anymore funny parts in the future. If you want to read a funny fic, then check out my joint fic called The Fellowship of the Kiwis. My friend Rachael and I are writing it and she is almost done with the second chapter.  
  
If you don't have an account on ff.net, and you want to be notified when I update, then leave your e-mail address in your review, or e-mail me with the subject Cold Heart telling me that you would like to be notified when I post a new chapter. Unless that is the subject I will not be opening the e-mail, so make sure that is what you put that in the subject box. If you have a ff.net account then just put me in your author alert.   
  
Review please! Namarie Mellons. 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any recognizable characters from it. I do own Anna though.  
  
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Cold Heart Chapter 8  
  
Anna opened her eyes and blinked. She was lying beside a small campfire at the edge of a forest. On one side, trees rose up and leaned overhead, their branches swaying and leaves crackling in the wind. On her other side mountains towered over her as jagged spikes.  
  
She turned back to the fire when she noticed a small movement. It was then that she realized there were two elves lying on the other side of the fire. Both were curled up in their cloaks, their faces shrouded in shadow. She could hear their shallow breathing that confirmed they were asleep.  
  
A rustle of leaves behind her was all the warning Anna got before a hand was laid lightly on her shoulder. She jumped up and turned around, looking at who was standing behind her. She let out a breath that she didn't know that she had been holding.  
  
In front of her stood a tall elf with long blonde hair that came down past he shoulders. There was merriment in his eyes as a smile spread across his face.  
  
She held a hand up to her heart and said, "Don't do that! You know how jumpy I am, especially when traveling around this place."  
  
"I am sorry, my lady. Please forgive me," the elf said, still smiling showing that he wasn't sorry at all.  
  
Anna rolled her eyes and muttered, "I'll bet you're sorry." Then looking back at the elf she said, "You know what I mean. Even though this place has been cleansed of all of the orcs, there could still be some tribes of those foul creatures around this area."  
  
"You are perfectly safe, trust me," he said, his face turning serious, "King Elessar has made sure that Moria is rid of it's orcs."  
  
"I care not if you Aragorn son of Arathorn has taken care of the evil beings within Moria, I still don't think that it is a good idea to travel through that place.  
  
"You know as well as I do that it will cut at least 2 weeks off of our traveling time to Rivendell," the elf said. "Now get some sleep, we have a long way to go tomorrow."  
  
"You have kept watch all night, let me take your place," she asked suddenly.  
  
The other elf raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "No, I do not think that would be a good idea. You need your sleep, you were the sentry last night. You need rest." He then walked over to a tree, climbed up it with ease, and disappeared in the thick canopy of green leaves.  
  
Anna lay back down and pulled her blanket tightly around her. She let her mind wander, when all of the sudden a cloth was put over her mouth. She turned over to find a very large orc on the other end of the cloth. She tried to scream, but the thick cloth muffled the sound. Her eyes slowly became unfocused and realized that the cloth had been dipped into a sedative of some sort. As her movements became less frantic, she slipped into unconsciousness.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Anna blinked sleepily as she awoke. She lifted her head up and gritted her teeth as the pain shot through her whole body. She dropped her head back down. When she raised her head up again, she ignored the pain and looked around. She was sitting with her legs tucked under her, her arms bound together by a rope that suspended them over her head, hanging them from a low tree branch that sat above her. Hundred of orcs sat around talking to each other in their own coarse tongue.  
  
One of the orcs spotted her awake and rushed off. A large orc came and stood in front of her looking at her with hatred. "What were you doing with three other elves on the path towards Moria?" the leader asked her.  
  
Anna looked him straight in the eye and defiantly said, "It is none of your business! And what do you want with me?"  
  
The orc smiled maliciously and replied, "We haven't had meat in quite a while and you look rather . . . tasty. Though, fortunately for you, we have orders to carry out. Even though we can't kill you we can still have a little, fun, if we wish." He ran a hand down her cheek and she recoiled backward, only to slam up against another orc who had somehow gotten behind her without her notice. The rest of the orcs closed in around the three beings, creating a half circle around the tree.  
  
Anna looked around terrified. The lead orc came closer to her and said, "Stand up." She just sat there, her head bowed, not even looking up. "Stand up!" he said more harshly. When she didn't move from her position on the ground, the orc grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up into the air. He lifted her up high enough so that her feet hovered a few inches above the ground. He squeezed her throat tighter, his fingers digging into the soft creamy flesh on her neck.  
  
Choking, she tried to push air back into her lungs while her hands tried to come down to remove the orc's death grip, but her hands were still suspended high enough above her where she couldn't bring them that far. The orc just laughed at her futile attempts and tightend his grip, cutting off Anna's breathing completely. "When I tell you to do something, you do it. Do you understand?" he asker her. When she didn't answer he lifted her higher off the ground and slammed her back against the tree. "Do you hear me, elf?" he yelled in her face.  
  
Spots were starting to dance in her eyes as her body was begging for air. She had enough air in her lungs to whisper on word. "No." The orc's face twisted in rage. He banged her head against the tree and let go of her throat, allowing her body to slide down the tree trunk. A small trickle of blood ran do the back of her neck.  
  
The orc came up and stood over Anna. She looked up at him dazed. He took his fist and smashed it into the side of her head. She leaned her head against the tree, grinding her teeth against the pain. The edges around her vision were going black as unconsciousness threatened to take over her mind. The orc stepped away, obviously pleased with his work. He then looked over at the orc standing behind Anna and said to him, "Cut her down and if she can let her walk. We reach Moria by nightfall, so move out!" All of the surrounding orcs heard this and started packing up camp.  
  
Anna's heart sank. So they were going to Moria. Once they got inside the bowels of rock and hidden tunnels she wouldn't stand a chance of being rescued. Suddenly, she was pulled into a standing position. The rope had been cut near the branch of the tree, leaving her hands securely bound and just as numb as before and a long trail if rope that she guessed was going to be used as some sort of lead.  
  
The orc steadied her for a moment, before letting go of her to see if she could stand up on her own. Anna stood steady for a moment before trying to take a small step. She promptly fell to the ground.  
  
Grunting in irritation, the orc reached into his pack and pulled out a small flask. Anna clamped her lips shut, knowing that this could not be a good sign. He grabbed her mouth and tried to open it, but to no avail. Finally, frustrated with this defiance, he brought his fist back and punched her in the stomach. She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her.  
  
She instinctively tried to take a breath, but found her attempt hindered when the flask was brought to her mouth. The liquid burned her throat as it went down and she tried to spit the remaining liquid out, but the orc held her mouth closed, forcing her to swallow all of it. Instantly the pain in her body subsided. Before she had time to contemplate what had just occurred , the orc pulled her up to her feet. This time she stood straight and tall, holding her head high as she was lead off.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
They traveled like this for days. Anna would be lead during the day, and at night they orcs would play 'pass the elf'. One orc would beat her and then when he had his fill of inflicting pain upon her, he would pass her off to the next of those disgusting creatures. After they were done, she would get another dose of that horrid liquid so that she would be able to walk the next day. After being in Moria for 4 days, she started losing hope in her rescue.  
  
When they were but an hour from the northern gate, Anna heard the orcs talking quietly amongst themselves about where they were headed. Supossibly, the orc tribe was headed to Weathertop where they would meet another much larger tribe and continue on from there. Continue to where, they never said.  
  
The orcs set up a small makeshift camp up after they got outside the gate. They had tied Anna to a small tree on the edge of a lake, with a large rock sitting beside her. The same orc that had cut her down the first day was sitting on top of the rock, staring longingly at the campfire on the other side of the lake. Apparently, one of the orcs had known that Anna was listening to their conversations, so suggested she sit away from the camp as to not hear their plans. Little did the orcs know that with her elven ears, Anna could hear every word they said.  
  
Anna leaned her back against the rock, exhausted from the whole days trudging through the dark, dank mines; she fell into a fitful sleep. She awoke there was a large commotion in the center of the camp around the fire. She looked around wildly trying to figure out what was going on. Orcs were running from all different directions to the middle. The orc that had been keeping watch over her was also running towards the middle of the camp.  
  
She saw the flash of blades in the middle of the orcs. They were elven blades and flashed in the moonlight, eliciting shrieks from orcs as they were plunged into tough orc flesh.  
  
In her mind Anna knew that these were the three elves that she had been with before. She started tugging at the ropes, trying to get free. When she found it would be impossible, she turned back to the fight. There was suddenly a small gap, and she could see two elves fighting with all of the strength that they had.  
  
Suddenly, there was a movement above her and she saw a silhouette in the moonlight. First she thought it was an orc, but then she saw that it was much too slender to be an orc, and that it was an elf. The elf jumped down from the rock, landing nimbly beside her. Upon closer inspection, she found that it was the blonde from days before standing in front of her. He cut her binds and pulled her to her feet. She flexed her hands, trying to get the feeling back in them, when the elf pressed a small dagger into her hand. "Just in case," he whispered before he grabbed them and started to slowly take her around the lake, away from the camp.  
  
"Why did you come, not-" Anna asked, but was interrupted.  
  
"Because I am faster, and better at stealth than they are and that is what was needed to get you. Don't worry, they will catch up with us." He reassured her and pulled her along until they reached the edge of a small glade of trees. He pulled her towards one of them. "Climb, I'll stay on the ground until you get up."  
  
Reluctantly, Anna climbed up the tree. When she got to the top, she looked to the ground and saw the elf start to climb the tree, but then fell to the ground, an arrow protruding from his thigh. He tried to stand up, but couldn't. Blood was flowing freely from the wound when a hoard of orcs surrounded him and bound his hands.  
  
Anna, still hidden in the leaves of the tree, watched as an elf with black hair came an attacked the orcs, trying to free the blonde. She stifled a scream as the elf was knocked to the ground. He looked up into the tree, hearing her scream, and mouthed the words 'run' to her. All that she wanted to do was go down and help him, but something made her feet move as she jumped from tree to tree, leaving the orc voices behind. When she thought that she was far enough away, Anna sat down on a tree branch and started to silently cry, and cried herself to sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Anna sat straight up and looked around her. She was laying in bed with Galadriel sitting in a chair next to her bed. Elrond was standing beside the fire and Aragorn was by the window. All were looking at her shocked.  
  
Elrond and Aragorn both moved toward the bed, each asking her if she was alright. She held up her hand, indicating for them to stop. They did and she turned to Aragorn. She gave him a strained smirk as she said, "Why didn't you tell me that you were a king?"  
  
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A/N: So what did u think? Let me know! I don't have anything much to say right now, since I am currently bored out of my mind and don't feel like being very random at the moment. Next chappie will be here ASAP. Namarie Mellons 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters or places from Lord of the Rings. I do own Anna though.  
  
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Everyone sat in silence a moment, before the door creaked open and Haldir and Legolas walked in. They both had somber looks on their faces.  
  
Haldir immediately walked over and sat down on the bed beside Anna. He grasped her hand in his and, with concern lacing his voice, asked, "Are you alright?" Trying to soothe her, he lightly brushed his thumb over the back of her hand.  
  
Anna looked over Haldir's shoulder at the door. Legolas was standing on the threshold, leaning against the frame. His face showed concern, but it was obvious he was trying to keep it emotionless. She turned her attention back to her hand, which Haldir still held.  
  
Quickly, she jerked it out of his grasp and held it to her, just as startled about what she did as Haldir was. Why had she done that? It wasn't wrong for him to try and comfort him, yet it didn't feel right. She avoided looking at Haldir, well aware of the pain and confusion that undoubtedly shone in his eyes.  
  
Elrond, seeing the exchange, decided it had gone on long enough and decided to intervene. "Anna, only you and Galadriel know what happened in your dream. It would help us imincly if you could tell us what happened."  
  
Anna nodded and started telling her story, having to stop at some points, willing herself not to cry. They listened, getting more concerned by every detail, every beating, and every punch that she sustained, finishing with her falling asleep on the tree.  
  
Finally, after she told what had happened, she sat quietly, trying to collect her thoughts. "Well, Anna, if that is all that there is, then I shall send out riders to search every bit of land between Moria and Weathertop," said Elrond, standing up slowly.  
  
"No," she whispered. Everyone's head snapped back to look at her. "No, that's not all that I remember. I remember that whole experience, everything from my dream, up until the time I passed out in the field."  
  
Elrond turned back to Anna and replied, "Please, continue then." He sat down again, and everyone turned their full attention back on her.  
  
"When I woke up the next day and ran, in no particular direction, just some way to get me away from the orcs. I traveled for about 3 days without any food or water, until I came upon a small group of men. There were about 5 of them, and I was leery about going to them for help, but in the end I had no choice. They were very nice and invited my travel with them, since they were heading to a trading post outside Rivendell. I accepted and we became very good friends, probably some of the best friends that I have ever had. Once I got to know them a little better, I found that they were rangers from the north; their leader was named Halbarad. He was probably closest to me out of all the men, he treated my like a person, not some delicate flower thats stem would snap at any second," she stopped when she heard Aragorn draw in a sharp breath.  
  
"We traveled for a little less than a month. They taught me many things. Tracking, hunting, and even sword fighting, though I think that they would always let me win. They told me many stories and tales of many people. They told my tales of people and place of the north. One in particular was a man named Strider, who used to the their captain. They talked about him all of the time, about what a great man he was, insisting that I would have to meet him someday."  
  
"About a week from Rivendell, disaster struck. Our camp was attacked by orcs. I wanted to fight, but they refused to let me, and Halbarad told me to hide. I hid in a tree at the edge of the clearing we were camped in and watched as wave after wave of orc swept in. Th-They killed all of them, the orcs slaughtered all of the rangers and all that I could so was sit and watch. I heard the leader yelling for them to find me. I brought this upon them, my friends. I am the one who got them killed. These were the same orcs from Moria and they were hunting me. If I had never joined then, they would all still be alive. After that I ran through that forest, for a whole week, I did nothing but run, only resting about 3 hours a night. Then when I couldn't run anymore, I passed out in the field." Saying that, finally telling someone, made her feel a little better. But that feeling soon came crashing down as Aragorn strode quickly out of the room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Everyone, who had remained frozen to their seats by Anna's story, jumped at Aragron's exit. "What happened? Why did he leave?" she asked.  
  
"Halbarad was Aragorn's kin," replied Legolas, speaking for the first time. "They were as close as brothers and hearing that he was killed by orcs is difficult for him to hear. When you mentioned Strider, and how Halbarad talked of him often, that was hard on him, also. For you see, Aragorn is Strider, who was the Captain of the Dunedain before he became King of Gondor."  
  
Anna sighed and shook her head. "I shouldn't have said anything."  
  
"No, it is good that you told us. Now we may be able to find the other three elves if they are yet alive," said Elrond softly. He then stood up and walked over to the door. Turning back to the remaining occupants of the room and saying, "I am going to send out riders. Hopefully they will find something soon." He then walked out of the room.  
  
Leaning back against the headboard, Anna rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. "That memory is going to haunt me for a long time," she said bitterly.  
  
Galadriel rose from her chair wearily and moved to the door. "Anna, I think that you need rest. Legolas, Haldir, please come with me," she said before walking out the door, Legolas and Haldir following suit.  
  
When Anna was alone, she sighed and lay back onto her bed. Everything was so confusing. She couldn't remember anything except that little bit about her past. Nothing came back to her, and it frustrated her.  
  
She closed her eyes, oddly tired, even though she had just woken up. Her mind went hazy as she was swept off into her dreams.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
She saw herself walking slowly, quietly along the shores of a small lake. A willow hung over the water's edge, creating a curtain of leaves. The water was tranquil, not a ripple along the glossy surface.  
  
The sky was dark, but illuminated slightly. Splashes of red and orange were what was left of the ending sunset.  
  
Anna saw herself walking along the lakes edge, drinking in the beauty around her. After a while, the night took over, but a large, full moon was shinning overhead.  
  
Then a lone figure came from behind the willow and leapt towards her. From his height and build, slender yet muscular, you could tell it was an elf. She turned around suddenly, but then started to laugh as she was scooped up into his arms.  
  
The elf turned around in circles, Anna still in his arms, laughing. Then he gently sat her on the ground, and settled in beside her. Wrapping one arm around her waist, and enlacing his other hand with one of hers, pulled her closer to him.  
  
In response, she laid her head on his shoulder. They sat there for a while, talking quietly to each other. Their silhouettes were outlined by the moon and cast a shadow over the water.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Anna sat up in her bed quickly. That dream she had, what did it mean? Had it been a memory from her past, or a foreshadowing of something to come in the future? Was the other elf with her Legolas or Haldir?  
  
Suddenly, she heard muffled voices through her wall, from the room next door, very loud voices. Her curiosity got the best of her and she slipped slowly out of bed, wrapping a sleeping robe around her. She opened her door slowly and slid out into the hallway. The candles lining the hallway were lit, so Anna assumed it was after dark.  
  
She crept along the stone hallway, her feet not making a sound. Looking around, she realized that this hallway was new to her. 'They must have moved me to a different room,' she thought. Shrugging it off, she continued down the hallway, toward the voices. They grew louder and louder with every step she took, and after a while she could make out that the voices belonged to Legolas and Haldir.  
  
"Can't you show a little compassion? I can tell that you obviously didn't care, but - ," Haldir said, his voice with a hint of mirth in it.  
  
Legolas cut him off and replied angrily, "I do care, Haldir! And what would give you the impression that I don't?"  
  
"Well, for starters, you stood in the doorway when you saw her, and didn't even ask if she was alright when you saw what kind of distress she was in. Then, when I tried to comfort her and took her hand, she looked pointedly over at you, then pulled away, like she wanted you to be there instead of me!" Haldir said, most of the mirth gone from his voice, now filled with anger.  
  
Anna was frozen to her spot. They were arguing about her, but why? She moved closer to the door, and saw that it was open a crack to where she could see a bit of the room.  
  
Legolas stood, pacing in front of the fireplace. Haldir sat lounging on a small couch, twirling an arrow between his fingers.  
  
"Do you want to know why I didn't go to her? It is because I have feeling for her, that's why. You don't know what it's like to get your heart broken, but I do, and I will not let it happen again!"  
  
At this, Haldir stopped twirling the arrow and closed his fist around it, gripping it until his knuckles turned white. He rose from his position on the couch and stood in front of Legolas.  
  
"You have no idea what you are talking about. Don't speak of things you know naught of," Haldir hissed.  
  
"What are you talking about? Aren't you happily together with that bitch, Elena?" Legolas said, smirking.  
  
"Fine, I shall tell you what happened, thought it really is none of your concern," Haldir said, moving to the fire and staring into the red depths. "She left me. She decided that I didn't suit her, so she moved on to another elf that would. She didn't choose me, Legolas. So don't tell me I don't know what it's like to get your heart broken. I know exactly what it's like!" He said his voice low and deadly. "I do not have time for this."  
  
Haldir moved his eyes from the fire and turned, not even looking at Legolas, to the door. He slowly walked to it and Anna's breath caught in her throat. Haldir was going to see her and that would not be a good thing. She looked around for somewhere to hide, but didn't get the chance.  
  
"Wait!" Legolas said. Haldir's hand had just reached for the doorknob, when he stopped and turned around, his back to the door. Anna exhaled slowly and pressed herself flat against the wall, still listening to what was being said.  
  
"What do you want?" Haldir asked sharply.  
  
Legolas paused, and then replied, "I want to apologize. I shouldn't have said the things that I said before. I didn't know about what had happened." He sank onto the couch, leaning against the back and sighing deeply. "I thought that I was over Elena, that I had shielded my heart from anyone ever getting close to it again. But when I saw Anna, that shield shattered like glass. I felt my heart yearning to be near her, to get close. When I realized what I was feeling it was too late. I tried to ignore those feelings, and that is why you saw me show 'no compassion' earlier today. I tried to build that cage up again, but it just fell apart."  
  
Haldir walked over to the couch and sat beside Legolas. "I feel the same way. I told myself that I would never give my heart to anyone again, yet I did. But what should we do about Anna? We have both given our hearts to her, so one will have to be broken again," Haldir said, the venom gone from his voice.  
  
"We will have to let her decide, but not just yet. I think that we both need to get to know her better before we make her choose. But in the meantime, let us not be enemies. Though I cannot forget what happened, I want us to try and be friends again," Legolas said, and clasped Haldir's shoulder. Haldir did the same and nodded.  
  
Anna chose this time to retreat back to her room. She ran along the hallway, back to the room she was in. She closed the door behind her and slid down it, sitting at the base.  
  
So that whole argument had been about her, about who would get her. She slumped her shoulders and pulled her knees to her chest. She would just have to wait and see what the new day would bring.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
A/N: Well, people, what did you think? I tried really hard to get this done, but it took me a while. The teachers at school were loading work onto us left and right before fall break. The next chapter will be a little longer I'm afraid. It is going to hard for me to write, and I also have to work on Fellowship of the Kiwis, so please bear with me.  
  
IMPORTANT! I am going to be changing my pen name to Rogue Elf111 here pretty soon, so if you can't find MissJedi, then check for this new one. 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters or places from Lord of the Rings. The only thing that is mine is Anna.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 10  
  
Anna didn't sleep at all that night; she had too much to think about. What had that dream meant? Was it a memory, or was she seeing what her future might hold?  
  
Another thought that plagued her mind was the argument that Legolas and Haldir had about her. She liked both of them as more than friends, but how would she be able to choose between them?  
  
Legolas was calm and quiet, though she has seen first hand how bad his temper could become.  
  
Haldir was more outgoing, more open. He would share his opinions with you whether you wanted them or not, and could see a bit arrogant at times.  
  
So if it came down to it, who would she choose? Both were great elves, and would probably do anything for her, but did she really want to be with either of them?  
  
The worse thoughts were the ones that dealt with her capture and the rangers. It was all of her fault that they were dead. If it had not been for her, they would still be alive. These were the things that tormented her most. Every time she thought of this, tears would come to her eyes and she would weep for her fallen friends.  
  
'It is not your fault' she heard someone say in her mind. She recognized the voice of Lady Galadriel. 'And I would not get too close the Legolas or Haldir. Something is coming that could tear you all apart forever.'  
  
'What do you mean?' Anna said to Galadriel out loud.  
  
'You shall see,' was all that was said, and then the presence was gone from her mind.  
  
Sighing, she rose from her position against the door. She walked over to the balcony and stepped out into the cool air. The view of this room was much better than her other one. This looked out over the city of Imladris. The houses sparkled as the sun rose above the tops of the trees.  
  
A knock at the door brought Anna out of her thoughts. She walked over to the door and opened it a crack to see who was there. Arwen stood, her face worried. Anna opened the door to Arwen, letting her in. Arwen took one look at Anna rushed in. "What's wrong?" she asked Anna as the door was closed behind her.  
  
Anna settled down on the couch, curling her legs beneath her. "What are you talking about?" she asked Arwen, hoping the other elf wouldn't pry.  
  
"You have obviously been crying about something. What has you so upset?" Arwen asked, taking her hands and wiping the tears stains away from Anna's cheeks.  
  
Anna sighed. Arwen was like a sister to her. They had become best friends during Anna's short stay in Rivendell. And Anna wasn't sure if she could lie to Arwen, even if she wanted to.  
  
"I've been thinking about," Anna replied softly. "About the orcs and the rangers, and other things." Anna then proceeded to tell Arwen about the dream, and about her struggle of choice between Legolas and Haldir.  
  
Arwen listened attentively, not asking any questions. Before she could comment, a bell rang outside, signaling that breakfast had started. Arwen stood from her seat beside and Anna on the couch and pulled her up too.  
  
"I think that you need to go to breakfast today. Everyone has been worried about you. You need to show then that you are fine," Arwen said, pushed Anna into the bedroom.  
  
After a hurried dress, she and Arwen were on their way to the dining hall.  
  
They arrived late, and only Elrond, Celeborn, Legolas, Haldir, and Aragorn were seated. All turned their heads to the approaching she-elves.  
  
"Good morning," Elrond said, pulling the chair between him and Aragorn out for his daughter while Legolas pulled out the chair beside himself for Anna. When the two elves were seated, the conversations the others had been having were started up again. Elrond and Celeborn talked in hushed voices.  
  
"Lady Anna, how are you this morning?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"I am doing fine, though I didn't get much sleep last night. I could hear some voices through the wall and they kept me up quite late. Though, the conversation was very interesting," Anna replied, throwing a pointed glance at Legolas and Haldir. Arwen started snickering quietly at the looks of utter shock on Legolas and Haldir's face. Anna, getting her prompting from Arwen, started laughing as well. Her silvery peals of laughter rang through the hall, and most of the occupants of the table smiled; this was the first time that any of them had truly heard her laugh.  
  
"So you said that you had some training with a sword?" Aragorn asked, trying to take the attention off Legolas and Haldir. He was confused about what she meant, but he would ask Legolas later.  
  
"Yes, the-the rangers taught me some," Anna replied, her voice faltering. "They taught me archery as well as swordsmanship."  
  
"The rangers taught you archery?" Legolas asked.  
  
"Yes, though I think that I learned sometime before then, because I already had some training," Anna replied.  
  
"Then would I would like to see how much you know. Would you like to spar with me this afternoon?" Aragorn asked as the breakfast dishes were cleared and everyone got up from the table.  
  
"And I would also like to see your skill of archery for myself," Legolas put in.  
  
"That sounds good, until this afternoon then," Anna said and walked down the hallway to her room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The elves made a large circle around the two people, Aragorn on one side and Anna on the other. Arwen pushed through the gathering crowd to Anna's side. She handed a sheathed sword to Anna.  
  
"Here is a sword for you to use, Anna," Arwen said. "It was mine while I lived here in Rivendell. I am now a Queen of Gondor and I fear I shall never be able to use it again. It was a present from my brother."  
  
Anna took the sword in her hand and pulled it part way from its sheath, inspecting the blade. "It's beautiful!" Anna gasped, and indeed it was. The silver shone throughout the room. Elven runes were engraved along the top.  
  
"Do you really like it?" Arwen asked, looking over her shoulder to her husband who was talking quietly with some of the elves around the room. Anna nodded, never taking her eyes off the blade.  
  
"Well, then you can keep it," Arwen said softly so only Anna could hear her.  
  
Anna's eyes widened and she looked up at Arwen. "No, I could never take this from you! Especially if it was a gift!"  
  
"I won't be using it again. Please, take it. You are like a sister to me, and I want you to have this," Arwen said quietly. "I am sure that my brother would want it to be used instead of gathering dust and rusting."  
  
Anna nodded again. "In that case, I accept this graciously," she replied and strapped the sheath around her slim waist. Her face split into a huge grin. "So, you have a brother? How come you never mentioned them?  
  
"Yes, well I actually have two brother. Elladan and Elrohir. They are twins, but Elladan is still the oldest and he never lets Elrohir forget it either. Both are practical jokers and they always played them on me when we were little. Elrohir was the one who gave me this sword," Arwen replied. "They aren't here right now. They are very free spirits, as all elves are, but more so. They disappear sometimes for years at a time. They've been gone for quite a while this time. They came to my wedding, but left soon afterwards. That was probably 10 years ago."  
  
"Elladan and Elrohir, did you say?" Anna asked thoughtfully.  
  
"Yes, why?" Arwen said, confused by what Anna meant.  
  
"The names just sound familiar, that's all," Anna replied, but inside she was reeling. Why did those names sound familiar? Had she known the elves before?  
  
"No doubt that you have," Arwen chuckled, "they are the sons of Elrond after all."  
  
"Yes, I suppose your right," Anna replied, though she wasn't so sure that was the reason. She turned her attention to Aragorn and nodded slightly to him, indicating she was ready. He did the same and both walked toward each other, and bowed.  
  
Aragorn walked a distance away from his elven opponent, boots tapping softly on the hard floor. Facing her, he drew his sword, turning it in his hand by flipping his wrist, and watching her every move.  
  
"I am ready if you are," he said to her quietly.  
  
"Just promise me you won't hold back," she stated simply in return. She, too, pulled out her blade. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, every fighting technique, every possible attack and counterattack rushing through her mind.  
  
She held her sword in front of her face; placing the palm of her other slender hand on the flat side of the cold metal. Her green eyes flashed in anticipation/  
  
The former ranger waited no longer. Gripping his sword tightly, he headed for the tall elvish maiden. A swift strike took place, which Anna expertly blocked and countered almost faster. He dodged aiming for the lower half of her body. She spun, knocking the sword out of his hand. All the elves in the room gasped as Aragorn's sword clattered loudly across the floor. It was not often you got to see the mighty King Elessar beaten by a woman. Anna raised hers to his neck; just a flick of her wrist would cut his throat.  
  
"Go get your sword," she said, lowering her weapon slightly. "I want to win by a fair fight. You held back." Aragorn nodded meekly. He walked over to the sword and picked it up, trying to avoid eye contact with the other elves.  
  
The King of Gondor walked back to his position on the other side of the room. Anna had gotten in position, her sword at ready, waiting for him to advance.  
  
Aragorn ran at her, attacking to her left. She jumped to the right, but not before getting a cut on her left forearm. She shrugged off the twinge of pain and the blood slowly staining the white of her shirt around her wound.  
  
Anna took Aragorn's shock of hurting her as a chance to attack. She claimed dominance over the swords as she drove him back with her force. He recovered quickly and made to knock the sword from her hand.  
  
Barely escaping the reach of the blade, she flipped landing behind him, and attacked. It didn't take long for Aragorn to spin and block the attack. Anna ducked, her brown hair falling in her face, and she got behind the former ranger once more.  
  
By the time Aragorn turned, the point of Anna's blade was resting at the base of his throat, her lips formed in a smirk. 'By the looks of it, they taught me pretty well, hmm?" she asked, raising her eyebrows, then lowering her sword and sliding it back in her sheath in one smooth motion.  
  
Aragorn laughed quietly. "Indeed."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Anna walked silently through the large trees. They created shadows over everything in an enchanting darkness. A small breeze blew the trees and caused her to shiver.  
  
She came upon the clearing where no shadows were cast, but the sun shone bright and warm. Two targets were settled against two trees next to each other. A bow of dark wood and a quiver of arrows lay underneath one of the targets.  
  
Legolas dropped from a tree in front of Anna in a crouch position at the base of the trunk. He stood up and smiled at her. "You came."  
  
"Yes, I came. And I would like to know what this is all about. Your note was very vague," she replied, taking a piece of paper out of her sleeve and waving it in the air. She had changed from her tunic and breeches into a plain green dress.  
  
"I was wondering if you would like to show me your skill in archery. I am a fairly good archer myself and I would like to see you talent," Legolas replied. He walked past her and picked the bow and quiver from under the target and handed them to her. She slowly strapped the quiver to he back and held the bow loosely at her side.  
  
"That sounds like a good idea. I would like to see if I could contend with you. I am not very good in archery, but I will try," Anna said. She took an arrow out of her quiver and strung it on the bow easily. She pulled back with all the strength she could muster and let the arrow fly. It flew straight for a little ways, but them curved and hit the outer edge of the target.  
  
Anna sighed and pulled another arrow out and strung it. It sailed through the air; but landed right beside her first arrow.  
  
Legolas chuckled behind her. She turned and glared at him "Then you try if you think you're so good at," she said. He obliged by stringing and letting an arrow fire faster than the eyes could see. It embedded itself dead center of the target.  
  
"I give up!" Anna cried. She put the bow on the ground and took the quiver off her back. She watched as Legolas sent two arrows at a time flying through the air. Both made it to their intended target; the bulls eye on her target more than twenty extra feet away.  
  
"Come here, let me show you," Legolas said, motioning Anna over. She picked up her bow and walked over to where he stood.  
  
She positioned herself in front of the target, getting ready to loosen the arrow, when Legolas stopped her. "Your doing it wrong," he said softly. He moved forward and pushed her feet farther apart. He then stood behind her; so close that he was leaning against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her body, he took the bow in his hands also, guiding the string back effortlessly, and letting go.  
  
The arrow hit its target and Anna smiled widely. She turned and faced Legolas, saying, "I did it! The arrow hit the tar-" She stopped short when she realized how close Legolas was to her.  
  
She looked up into his bright blue eyes. Something about them kept her staring back, unable to turn away. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. He leaned down slowly and hesitantly, his lips nearing hers. She could feel his warm breath skate across her face as she leaned toward him.  
  
When their lips were inches from each other's, Anna pulled back suddenly. She pushed Legolas away from her. Something inside told her that kissing him was wrong, and she had to stop it.  
  
Anna turned and ran through the woods, not caring which way she was going. All she knew was she had to get away from Legolas because she couldn't bear to see the pain in his eyes.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: So, what did you think? Please review, I love hearing what my readers have to say about my story.  
  
Thanks soooooo much to Karen Rhine for writing the fight scene between Anna and Aragorn. You rock Kerry!  
  
Just a quick little note to Fluff Writer: Sorry that I didn't let you know about the fight scene. I didn't have time to e-mail you and get you all the information, and I had already asked Karen Rhine to do it and she had already written up a really awesome one for me.  
  
And the plot thickens!!!!!! The next chappy will be a major huge gigantic surprise chapter so be ready! 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own any place or character from Lord of the Rings. Anna is mine though.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 11  
  
She walked quietly through the forest. The woods of Imladris were so calm and peaceful; they could take her mind away from anything.  
  
Anna had been walking through the forest for a few hours now. A fallen limb from a tree caught in the bottom of her dress. She reached down to untangle it, but saw a movement in the trees behind her.  
  
Standing up quickly, she scanned the trees around her, looking for the source. Everything was silent. Nothing but the wind could be heard rustling the leaves of the trees.  
  
She started walking again, and felt the presence of someone behind her. The pursuer walked lightly over the ground, the elven boots not making a sound.  
  
Anna kept her course steady, as not to alert the elf that she knew she was being followed. She slipped her hand in one of the folds of her dress where she had started keeping a dagger hidden and put it up her sleeve. After sparring with Aragorn, everything she had learned from the rangers had come back to her. One of the main things they had taught her was to always keep a weapon ready.  
  
When she knew the elf was close enough, she slipped the dagger into her hand and spun quickly. She held the knife at the elf's throat.  
  
Standing before her was a very shocked Haldir. She dropped the knife to the ground and her face twisted in horror at what she had almost done.  
  
Haldir relaxed and smiled, "I came out here to make sure you were safe; these woods are not safe for a woman to wander on her own. Legolas got worried when you ran off and asked me to come find you. I guess I needn't have bothered. You can clearly take care of yourself."  
  
"How can you be smiling? I almost killed you!" Anna cried. Seeing that no harm was done, she dropped the subject. "Did Legolas tell you why I ran off?" she asked.  
  
"No. All he said was that you were upset about something and ran off," Haldir replied. He started walking forward, away from the city. "Come with me," he said, " I want to show you something."  
  
Anna followed Haldir as he went off the main path, "I found this place the last time I visited Imladris," he said, pushing branches out of their way. He helped Anna over a fallen log then stopped her. He held a finger to his lips, indicating for her to be quiet. The leaves parted slightly when a small breeze blew through and what Anna saw made her gasp.  
  
They were standing on top of a waterfall that looked down over Rivendell. The city's houses sparkled in the sun. It made the city look like one large shimmering jewel. The falls were rushing loudly and emptied into the Bruinen. Off to the side there was a small pool that had collected extra water from the falls. A herd of deer were drinking from the pool and basking in the sunlight.  
  
"It's beautiful," Anna breathed. She moved through the trees slowly, as not to startle the deer. Haldir followed, watching the smile on Anna's face, which caused one on his own.  
  
Anna moved over to the edge of the falls. She kicked her shoes off and sat down on the ground looking over the city, her feet in the cool water. Haldir sat down next to her and they sat in silence for sometime. She lay back on the grass looking up at the sky and sighing contentedly.  
  
"So, what exactly happened between you and Legolas?" Haldir asked. Anna propped herself up on her elbows and looked over at Haldir.  
  
" I guess that question was bound to come up sometime," She replied. "We were practicing archery and, well, we almost kissed."  
  
"What do you mean by 'almost'?" Haldir asked curiously.  
  
"We almost kissed but then I pushed him away and ran off. I don't know why I pushed him away. There was nothing wrong with it. Yet something told me not to," she replied.  
  
Haldir sighed sadly, " So you wish to be with Legolas. Could I ever have a chance with you?"  
  
"I'm sorry Haldir. I do not feel the same for you as I do for him. Can we please be friends?" Anna asked.  
  
He turned back to the city. He smiled softly and replied, "If you want to be friends then friends is all that we will be."  
  
"Thank you." She said.  
  
"And about Legolas," he said softly, "When your mind can not make a decision for you, your heart is the best choice to follow."  
  
Anna smiled and jumped up. "Race you back to Rivendell!" she cried. She grabbed her shoes from the ground beside her and sprinted off in a run, Haldir right on her heels. She ran as fast as she could and looked back only to find Haldir gone. She slowed her run to a walk and followed a small trail until she came to the main road to Rivendell.  
  
"Haldir, where are you?" She yelled into the forest, "You can come out now!"  
  
The galloping of hooves alerted Anna a split second before a horse came charging around the corner. She jumped out of the middle of the road. The rider stopped before her. He looked down at her and said, "A woman should not be walking around the forest on her own."  
  
A blond streak was the only warning of Haldir coming as he jumped out of a tree and landed gracefully between Anna and the horsed elf. "She is not alone; she is with me," he said, "What brings you rushing through here like this?"  
  
"Mae govannen, Haldir of Lorien. My sentry was patrolling and spotted a group of wounded elves a distance from the borders. I am riding ahead to inform Lord Elrond, " He replied.  
  
"Who are they?" asked Haldir tensely.  
  
"I know not. They were too far away to see clearly."  
  
Haldir nodded and said, " Carry on then." The elf bowed his head, spurred his horse and took off down the road.  
  
"I didn't know you had that much power." Anna said smiling.  
  
Haldir just shrugged, "I am the Marchwarden in Lothlorien. The elves here respect me for it." He held his arm out, she took it and they started walking to Imladris. They walked in silence for a while, just looking at the beauty around them, each caught up in their own thoughts.  
  
Anna broke the silence by sighing quietly to herself, though Haldir heard her. "What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.  
  
"Everything," she replied, "Everything in my life is wrong! I lost my memory and found out yesterday that I was kidnapped and tortured by orcs. I find out that I got my best friends slaughtered, and I want to be with an elf, but my head is telling me no. My very existence is wrong!"  
  
Haldir chuckled slightly. Anna turned to him, her mouth open wide in shock. "How can you laugh at me? That is such a horrible life, and I wish I were anyone but me," She said.  
  
Haldir stopped walking and turned to face her. He looked her straight in the eye and said, "Don't ever say that. You are a great person. Even though your life has been very tough, you should never want to be someone else. Instead of thinking about the bad things, think of the good. You are here in beautiful Imladris as one of Lord Elrond's most honored guests, not to mention he thinks of you as almost a daughter to him. You have great friends who would do anything for you. And you have the elf Prince of Mirkwood, one of the most powerful elven kingdoms, falling in love with you. Legolas would probably give you all of Middle-Earth if you asked him. You have a great life, so don't wish you could be anybody but yourself."  
  
Anna smiled then immediately grabbed him in a large hug. He wasn't used to showing his emotion this way, so he hesitated a moment before returning the embrace. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, " I will always be here for you as a friend. No matter what happens to you, remember, I am here."  
  
She pulled away and smiled. "Thank you." She said softly. Haldir returned her smile and took her hand in his. "Come on!" he shouted, "Lets get back up to the house." Anna laughed and raced after Haldir.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Anna walked down the hallway, frustrated. She had looked everywhere for Legolas, but she could not find him. He wasn't in his room, in the gardens, in the kitchen, or the archery practice field.  
  
She shook her head and stopped at one of the small gardens and sat down on a bench. He was nowhere to be found and she really needed to talk to him.  
  
As though her prayers had been answered, Legolas walked around the corner. He looked around and when he saw Anna, turned to walk away. "Wait!" she cried. He stopped and turned back to face her.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked coldly. Anna sighed; he was not only hurt but also angry about earlier in the day.  
  
"I wanted to tell you why I ran off into the woods this afternoon," she said softly.  
  
"Then do share, because I have been wondering that," He said crossing his arms chest.  
  
"I really like you but something in my head just told me not to kiss you; that it would be wrong."  
  
"Oh really?" he said, "I must have been getting my signals mixed, because I thought that you wanted to kiss me. Foolish me."  
  
"No wait, Legolas, please hear me out! I want to apolog-" she started to say, but Legolas stopped her.  
  
"Save it," He hissed, "When you know what you want, then let me know simply, that way I do not get my signals crossed again. Until then, stay away from me." He turned and left the garden.  
  
Anna growled and stomped her foot on the ground. She was about to go after him, but stopped herself. What did she want? The words of Haldir echoed through her head. 'When your mind can't make a decision for you, your heart is the best choice to follow.'  
  
She grinned and headed after Legolas. She was going to follow her heart and she would make herself very clear.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She followed the way she thought Legolas had gone. Voices were coming from Elrond's study. One she clearly recognized, and that was the one she was looking for.  
  
Anna didn't care if she had to do this in front of all of Imladris, it would happen now. She walked toward the study, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. The voices grew louder as she neared the study, but she ignored all but Legolas'.  
  
She walked into the study, putting blinders on to all others in the room. Nobody really noticed her as she walked straight toward Legolas.  
  
When she got to him, she took his face in her hands and pulled it down to hers.  
  
Their lips touched and Anna poured all of her emotions into that kiss. Legolas tensed for a moment before returning the kiss. They stayed like that for a few moments before someone behind them cleared their throat.  
  
Anna pulled away from Legolas. Still looking in his eyes she whispered, "Simple enough?"  
  
"Plenty," He replied. He pulled her into another kiss, this one more passionate than the first.  
  
A new voice whistled and said teasingly, "It looks like Legolas has gotten himself a girl."  
  
Anna whirled around about to tell the person off but instead let out a strangled cry as she saw who was sitting in chairs by the fire; looking ragged and dirty and though they hadn't eaten in weeks; were 3 elves. Two had chocolate colored hair and were identical twins, the other had long blond hair and looked older than the other two.  
  
Elrond cleared his throat and said, "Anna, I'm glad you are here. I would like to introduce you to these elves."  
  
The three elves had their mouths open in shock and seemed speechless so Anna spoke first.  
  
"It's them," she whispered, though everyone heard her.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Arwen, who was wrapping up a wound on Glorfindel's leg.  
  
"It's them, the elves from my dream," she said. All heads snapped from her to the other elves.  
  
"It cannot be," one of the twins said.  
  
"But it is," the other replied. He stood from his seat shakily and walked to Anna. His eyes were wide as he moved closer. When he got close enough he reached out and touched her cheek, almost as to test if she were real.  
  
Anna stepped back quickly and eyed the elf. "Who are you?" she asked.  
  
The elf's face looked even more shocked than it did before. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Who are you?" she repeated loudly.  
  
"Kementari, what are you talking about? Don't you remember me, Elrohir?" he asked, panicked, "Or Elladan? Or Glorfindel?"  
  
"Why are you calling her Kementari?" Aragorn asked and stepped out from behind a bookshelf where he had been browsing for a book.  
  
"Because that is her name," Glorfindel replied.  
  
Anna felt as though something had tugged at her brain when he had said Kementari. It was almost as though the dam of her mind was about to break. She stepped back towards the door and rushed from the room.  
  
Elrohir made to follow her, but was stopped by Legolas' firm grip on his arm.  
  
"Elrohir, why are you upsetting her like this?" he asked.  
  
Elrohir glared at him and said, "Why am I upsetting her? I haven't seen my wife for months and you talk about her being upset?"  
  
Every head in the room snapped to Elrohir at this statement.  
  
"What-what did you say?" Haldir asked.  
  
"Kementari is my wife!" Elrohir snapped sharply.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Dun dun dun!!!! Lol, there was the huge major surprise I told you about. Ok, well here is a very important announcement! I am going to take a little time off from writing now that I posted this chapter.... * ducks flying projectiles from angry readers * Eeeep! Alright, I'll get started writing the next chapter right away. Please be kind and give me a little time, because I had the whole story planned up to this point and now that I'm here, I only have a vague conception of what I am going to do next.  
  
Oh yes, and I am going to start redoing the first chapters of the story because I was reading back over them the other day and I realized how crappy they were. So check back soon and see how much better they are! 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with Lord of the Rings. That belongs the J.R.R. Tolkien. Anna/Kementari is mine.  
  
  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 12  
  
"What-what did you say?' Haldir asked.  
  
"Kementari is my wife!" Elrohir snapped sharply.  
  
Anna leaned against the wall outside of Elrond's study. She strained her ears to hear what was going on inside.  
  
"How can she be your wife?" Legolas asked.  
  
"We were married in Lothlorien. You can ask Grandmother, she was the one that did the ceremony," Elrohir replied.  
  
At that moment Anna saw Galadriel standing in the doorway. She turned and smiled at Anna sadly and then walked into the room.  
  
"Aye, it is true. I married them in Lorien some years ago," she said quietly. The room was quiet for a moment before Elrond spoke.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me? I would have understood," he said slowly, trying to stay his anger.  
  
"I think this story needs to be told from the beginning," the new blond elf said.  
  
"That's a good idea, Lord Glorfindel. Well, after Arwen's wedding Elladan and I left to go to travel around Middle-Earth. We still had a decision to make ourselves. Would we sail over to the Valinor with our father, or become mortal and live the rest of our days here in Middle-Earth with men? We rode throughout Middle-Earth, hoping that it would help us make a decision. It didn't, so Elladan thought we should go and see Grandmother in Lothlorien."  
  
"When we got there, I saw the most beautiful maiden sitting in a tree that hung over the Nimrodel. She didn't seem to notice us, so we didn't disturb her. I asked Grandmother who is had been. She said the maiden's name was Kementari and she has grown up in Lothlorien when she was found wandering in the woods.  
  
"I met Kementari and we became great friends. I taught her sword fighting and a small amount of archery. We were wed a few months later."  
  
"And you were on your way here to tell me the news," Elrond said grimly, "and were attacked by orcs in the process."  
  
"How do you know that, ada?" Elladan asked.  
  
"Anna is remembering her past in her dreams. She dreamed about that incident and remembered what happened after that until the time she got here to Imladris," Legolas replied.  
  
"So it was you," Haldir said quietly to himself, though everyone heard him.  
  
"What about me?" Elrohir asked.  
  
"During her dream, when I found her crying out, she was calling for someone. All that she got out was Elro-, then Legolas came in the room and she stopped screaming. I had assumed that she was screaming for Lord Elrond. But apparently she was screaming for you," Haldir replied.  
  
Elrohir fell back into a chair and sighed heavily. "I am still not clear why you are calling Kementari 'Anna' or why you continue to say 'remembering her past'"  
  
"Because, Elrohir, she doesn't remember any of her past. Arwen and Aragorn found her unconscious in a field a little way away from here. Your father called her Anna because she woke up with amnesia and couldn't remember anything, much less her name," Galadriel said. "And the reason why I did not tell anyone of your marriage was because she needed to find out on her own. I wanted her to follow her heart."  
  
"Follow her heart?" Legolas asked.  
  
"It is true that she married Elrohir, and that she still holds love for him in her heart. Yet since she has been here in Rivendell, she has found an equal amount of love for you," Galadriel replied. "She must choose whom she wishes to be with on her own."  
  
"I must go speak with her," Elrohir said suddenly.  
  
Just then Anna saw a man standing nervously in the doorway, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, not wanting the interrupt this very important conversation. He was bidden entrance by Elrond and spoke quickly. "I have a message for King Elessar of Gondor. Faramir, Steward, has fallen ill, and her Lady Eowyn asks that the Kind return immediately," he said.  
  
"I shall leave right away. Within the hour," Aragorn said. "Please gather my solders and tell them to ready their horses." The man nodded and practically ran out of the room.  
  
"Arwen, you can come with me or stay here with your father and brother until you are ready to return to Gondor. Which do you choose?" Aragorn asked.  
  
Arwen replied softly, "My place is beside you. I am sorry Elladan, Elrohir, Ada, but I must go."  
  
"No need to apologize, sister, we understand," Elrohir said distractively. Anna heard his boots across the floor as he walked toward the door and looked around the hallway quickly. No one was there.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Anna had run down the hallway when she knew Elrohir was coming to the door. She was walking quickly down the hallway toward her room.  
  
She decided she had to get out of Rivendell, away from everything, be it for just a few days.  
  
She could not escape to Mirkwood, because there she would be with Legolas; Lothlorien was out of the question, she wasn't sure whether she was ready to go 'home' yet. That just left south, to Gondor.  
  
She changed into her tunic and breeches quickly. Luckily the hallway was empty, so she didn't have much trouble getting down to the kitchen and grabbing some Lembas.  
  
Next she headed to the stables and selected a medium sized gray horse. She scrambled on it's back. The horn of Gondor had just sounded, announcing the Kind and Queen were departing; to Anna it meant that is she wanted to follow them, she had better leave quickly.  
  
She charged through the gates, ignoring the curious looks she received from the guards. The horse galloped into a small area of trees, waiting for the party from Gondor to get far enough ahead of them.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Anna had been following the Gondorians for almost half a day now. They rode at a hard pace and had stopped for very few breaks.  
  
She had stayed a safe distance behind them and stopped when they did. Getting too close to them could be a very big problem.  
  
When her horse finally stopped, it was late in the night and the moon shone brightly in the sky. Anna jumped tiredly down from her mount. She sighed and climbed into a nearby tree and lay on a high branch, facing the sky.  
  
The stars bore down on her and Anna felt an overwhelming peace cover her like a blanket. The stars literally called to her, leaning toward her and reaching for her with their lights. She fell asleep like this dreaming of herself floating through the sky flying to the stars.  
  
Anna awoke the next day morning when the sun was high in the sky. She sat up so abruptly that if she hadn't been an elf, she would have fallen out of the tree. But fortunately, she was and stayed firmly seated in the branch.  
  
When she had gotten her bearing, Anna realized what had awoken her. She had planned to get up with the sun and follow the group to Gondor from there on. The sounds of the camp were diminished now.  
  
Anna jumped down from the tree and ran stealthily through the shadows until she came upon she came upon the deserted camp.  
  
The only clue that they had been there at all was the pile of ash and charred logs. She came from her cover of trees and stuck her finger gently into the ash. The substance was cold, indicating that the party had broken down the camp some hours ago.  
  
She turned around, defeated. The only thing she could do was call her horse and go back to Imladris. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, completely hiding her face, and whistled for the horse. What appeared from the trees was anything but her horse. At least a dozen men crept out of the shadows, their bows strung and aimed at her.  
  
Anna didn't waste a second in pulling her sword from the sheath and holding it in a ready position, expecting an attack. The men abandoned their bows and drew their swords to her, and attacked.  
  
Her sword swung as the first one came upon her, Anna never thinking about killing anyone, just escaping. Soon men lay unconscious on the ground at her feet, and she only had two more left.  
  
She fought with the last one, and he started slowing down, but with her elven ability, Anna wasn't tiring at all.  
  
Right as Anna was about to knock the hilt of her sword against the man's skull, a cry came from the woods and man ran out of the trees. He wore a cloak and was dressed as a ranger. Anna stayed her sword, and as she did, the man she been fighting took a dagger from his boot and pushed it deeply into her stomach.  
  
Anna's eyes went wide and her breath caught in her throat. Her knees buckled from underneath her and she had almost fallen to the ground when she was caught in a strong hold.  
  
She was laid on the ground and had the first chance to look into the face of the man that had come running out of the bushes. Aragorn's worried face hovered above hers and he whispered, "It will be alright. I shall take you to Elrond."  
  
The pain in Anna's stomach had spread greatly throughout her body and she could only gasp out one word before she fell into unconsciousness. "No."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Anna blinked from the sunlight in her face, trying to remember what had happened because her mind was still very foggy. As the events came back into her mind she sat up quickly, only to fall back down on the bed as the pain shot through her stomach wound.  
  
"Lie still Kementari. You have been greatly injured," a voice said from beside her bed. She looked over to the voice and saw one of the twins, which she couldn't tell, looking down at her.  
  
She turned over so her back was facing him, and sighed heavily. "Why do you call me that?" she asked in a small voice. The elf moved back into Anna's line of sight. She sighed once again, but didn't turn her back to him.  
  
"I call you that because that is your name," he replied softly.  
  
"Which one are you?" she asked.  
  
"Excuse me?' he replied, confused.  
  
"Which twin are you? Are you my husband?" she asked with distaste.  
  
"Nay, little sister, I am not your husband. I am Elladan," he said and smiled sadly.  
  
"Please don't call me that," Anna said softly.  
  
"Call you what?" Elladan asked.  
  
"Little sister. Please don't call me that," she repeated.  
  
"Forgive me," he replied, "it never bothered you before."  
  
"I am not the same person I was before," she said sadly and turned her back on him once more.  
  
  
  
A/N: Please let me know what you think. I really enjoy reading your reviews, they give me inspiration to write faster.  
  
Btw, sorry if there are any mistakes in this chapter, I typed this rather late and didn't have time to spell check it.  
  
Lol, I can tell that everyone liked the little cliffie from the last chapter. Don't worry, I don't think that there will be anymore that severe in the rest of the story. I have already gotten chapter 13 written, so I will type it up soon and post it ASAP. 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable from Lord of the Rings.  
  
///////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 13  
  
"How can she not remember me?" an agitated voice asked. That was the first thing Anna heard when she awoke again. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to alert the others in the room she was awake.  
  
"I don't know, Elrohir. I really don't know," Elrond replied.  
  
"I love her so much, ada, more than life itself. I would give anything for her," Elrohir said.  
  
"You must understand that she is a different person now. I know that you two are legally married, but she needs to get to know you again. She doesn't know anything about you at the present time."  
  
"She won't want to get to know me again," Elrohir responded sadly. "Did you yourself not see her come in a kiss Legolas? Obvioulsy she has feelings for him."  
  
"I did, my son, but she hasn't even gotten to talk to you yet."  
  
"You are right, as usual. I just do not understand why she fled the city."  
  
"No one know; she probably just wanted to go somewhere to think. I believe that all of her old memories are locked away in her mind somewhere. With enough of your presence, she will remember much."  
  
"I hope your right," Elrohir replied. The room then got silent and Anna decided to open her eyes. Elrohir was sitting in a chair by the bed, holding Anna's hand. Elrond was pacing in front of the fire. Haldir was lounging on a couch across the room.  
  
Anna shifted slightly in the bed to get more comfortable. Of course all of the elves heard it and focused their attention on her.  
  
"Hello everyone," Anna said and smiled weakly. She tried to sit up in the bed, fully forgetting about her wound. Pain shot shrough her body and she let out a cry of pain before collapsing back on the bed.  
  
All three elves moved to her bedside, looking concerned. Elrond lifted the covers off of her and pulled the lower part of her shirt up, exposing her stomach and the white bandage covering the wound.  
  
He lifted the bandage up, checking the cut. "Anna, you must be very careful. The stiches could reopen and it would cause you extensive pain. If you need anything, let someone know," Elrond said sternly while recovering the wound, though he had a look of relief on his face. He then left the room for a moment and returned with a mug of steaming liquid. "Drink it. If you drink a couple glasses of this a day, your wound should be healed within the week. By tomorroe, you should be able to walk around Rivendell.  
  
"How bad is it?" she asked.  
  
"Very bad, but it has healed wonderfully." Elrohir said before Elrond had a chance to speak. "The knife went deep into your stomach. We were all worried about you. You've been asleep for a week."  
  
"A week?" Anna asked unbelivebly. She reached her hand over and touched Haldir's arm. He looked at her quizically and she motioned him closer. She bent in close and whispered in his ear, "Where is Legolas?"  
  
"He was here whenever Aragorn bought you back. He sat by your side day and night through the most difficult time when were weren't sure if you were going to be alright. When Lord Elrond said you would be fine, he left and has stayed in his room ever since; having his meals there and never leaving."  
  
Anna's only response to this was, "Please find him. I need to speak with him."  
  
Haldir nodded and was about to lean up, when Anna threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for everything," she said and let go. He smiled at her, then walked out of the room.  
  
She then turned and looked at the two remaining elves. Both were looking at her with questioning gazes. She laughed and and turned to Elrond.  
  
"No, Haldir and I are not together. I just wanted to be friends, and he respected my decision. He is currently one of my closest friends, and I am hoping it will always stay that way," Anna said to him. He nodded in understanding, though Elrohir just looked even more confused.  
  
The room was silent for a moment before Elrond excused himself, leaving Anna and Elrohir alone in the room. Elrohir took her hand in his again and held it tightly in his.  
  
"I wish that you could remember who I am," he said softly.  
  
"I do too," she replied, "When I am around you, there is some sense of familiarity, but I am still greatly confused."  
  
"So does your wound hurt much now?" he asked.  
  
At this Anna sighed and replied, "Not much, only when I move to quickly. I have felt worse pain, not all of it physically."  
  
"What do you mean?" Elrohir asked. Anna then explained about what had happened after they had rescued her. How she had been taught by the rander the art of swordplay and atchery, just to see them get slaughtered before her eyes.  
  
She didn't realize until she was finished that she had been crying. Tears streamed down her cheeks and landed beside her on her pillow.  
  
"I hate thinking about that," she said quietly. Elrohir took his free hand and wipped the tears off her her cheek.  
  
"Now that I'm back, you won't have to worry about anymore pain," he whipered. He leaned in closer and brushed his lips against hers. Anna quickly pulled her hand out of his and pushed him away.  
  
Elrohir's face twisted in anger and she stood from his chair. "Is it because of Legolas?" he asked angrily. "Is he the reason why you won't get close to me?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" she asked.  
  
"You came in the library and kissed him a week agon. That proves that you have feelings for him. Why can't you give me the same chance?"  
  
"I don't even know you! Legolas had been there for me ever since I got here and couldn't remember who I was. Even though we had our difficulties to begin with, our relationship changed. If you want to know the truth then; yes, I do have feeling for him," she yelled, enraged at Elrohir.  
  
"Do you think that you cannot trust me? I was there for you whenever you needed me. We courted for months before - " Elrohir started, but Anna cut him off.  
  
"That was then! As I have constantly been trying to tell everyone, I am a different person!" she practically screamed into Elrohir's face.  
  
"What is going on in here?" a new voice said from the door. A very angry Legolas was standing in the open doorway. He strode through the room and stood across the bed from Elrohir.  
  
"Please leave, Legolas. This coversation is none of your business!" Elrohir ground out through gritted teeth.  
  
"I think it is my business. Anna had just been stabbed, not very long ago. She needs to heal, and you upsetting her is not doing any good. You are the one who should leave," Legolas replied harshly.  
  
"What? Am I now not permitted to even talk to my wife? In my own home?" Elrohir asked, glaring at Legolas.  
  
"She may legally be your wife, but her heart does not lay with you."  
  
"Her heart is still mine," Elrohir said fiercely.  
  
"Have your eyes left your head?" Legolas asked sarcastically. "She is mine. You were there when she admitted her feelings to me. Her hea - ," he said, but was stoppped by Anna.  
  
"You are both wrong," she said coldly. They looked at her, having almost forgotten that she was there. "I am neither of your possesions. You fight over me like I was a lost dog looking for a new master," she said and finished the last part of her sentence softly, "I am not some prize to be won. I belong to no one."  
  
Both Legolas and Elrohir sat there shocked. Neither had ever heard her speak so disdainfully before. It was a shock for both to hear her usually speak so softly and nicely that this anger was very unexpected.  
  
She turned to Legolas and said, "I was hoping to speak with you, but now that I hear the way you see me through your eyes, I have changed my mind."  
  
Turning to Elrohir she said, "I am not the same person that you know. And no matter how much you are around me, I will never be who I was before, even if I do get all of my memories back."  
  
No one said anything after thatm just sat there; Legolas and Elrohir with their mouth's open, and Anna waiting for one of them to speak.  
  
Elrohir opened his mouth as if to say something, but shut it again. Not knowing what to say, left the room and slammed to door behind him.  
  
Anna turned her gaze to Legolas, an emotionless mask on her face. "I don't think about you like that," he whispered.  
  
"Really?" she asked incredulously. "It didn't seem that way to me."  
  
"It's true. I don't think of you as something I own," he said.  
  
"You don't anymore, now that you realize that it is wrong. That is how many women are treated. And don't tell me its not true, because it is. I refuse to be like that. I am my own person, and nobody will own me. Now, if you would please leave. I need to rest."  
  
Legolas nodded, deciding he would talk with her later and left silently.  
  
Anna, on the other hand, did not rest. She cautiously got out of bed, and wrapped a long sleeping robe around her body. Her bedroom was a short distance from the healing chambers and that is where she was heading.  
  
She opened her door softly and took a quick look out. If Legolas was still out in the hallway, he would chastise her for being out of bed; she wasn't sure if she could handle that at the moment.  
  
Luckily there was no one in the corridors; most of them were in the dinning hall eating a light lunch or socializing with their friends. Anna was grateful for the elves absence as she slipped through the hallways like a shadow.  
  
When she arrived in her bedroom, Anna walked straight over to the wardrobe. Inside were may beautifully colored dresses, but she ignored all of these. Instead, she reached down into the drawers and pulled out a bunch of tunics and leggings. She found a pack in the back of the wardrobe and stuffed the clothes into it.  
  
She then pulled out another pair of leggings and a tunic and dressed into those. When her bag was full of other essentials, Anna stuck her head out of the door and told one of the servants to fetch Haldir for her. Then she sat on her bed with one thought running through her mind:  
I belong to no one.  
  
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
A/N: Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. Mine was alright except that I was getting rather frustrated with my family. I had 7 little cousins running around my house between the ages of 10 and 1. Not fun.  
  
Here is the newest chapter, I hope that you enjoy it. I'll try to get the next chappy out soon, but I can't promise anything. I have a huge english project due on December 8th; I haven't started yet, and it will probably take a while. I will try to get something out before the 8th, but I make no guarantees.  
  
Sorry if there are a few mistakes in this chappy. I couldn't get on my mom's computer to spellcheck this before I posted it.  
  
Namarie! 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any recognizable characters or places from it. The only thing I own is Anna/Kementari.  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 14  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I said so."  
  
"I will go alone, then. And if I die, it will be all your fault."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Fine!" Anna replied and fell down onto her bed. She had asked Haldir to help her leave Rivendell for a little while. He had blatantly refused.  
  
"You haven't even told me why you wish to leave, or even where you wish to go," Haldir said.  
  
"I need to get away from here. I need to get clear of the tension in the air that I am the cause of. I have been looking at a map of Middle- Earth, but I don't know what would be the best place to go," she replied.  
  
Haldir sighed and stood from his chair. "I will speak to Lady Galadriel about this matter. Stay here!" he said sternly, though a ghost of a smile played across his face.  
  
Anna jumped up from the bed and wrapped her arms around Haldir. He laughed and said, "Ai, what have you done to me? Whenever I am around you, I cannot be the least bit serious."  
  
"I don't think that I've ever seen you that serious," she said to him smiling and pushed him to the door. "Go. I want to leave soon. And please don't tell anyone about this besides Lady Galadriel. They will not want me to go, nor will they understand my reasons," she said soberly.  
  
Haldir nodded and left the room. Anna settled on her bed, and started thinking. Where would she go? There was no elven kingdom she could stay at. There was the Shire, but staying with the hobbits that dwelled there didn't seem like the best idea. She fell asleep thinking of these things sometime later.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
When she awoke, the sun showed that it was late in the evening, a little after dinner. A thin blanket had been pulled over her body. She sat up slowly and scanned the room around her. The bag she had packed earlier was nowhere in sight; neither were any of her weapons that had been with her.  
  
Anna pulled the blanket off and slipped out of bed. The bedroom door was cracked open a little and voices filtered through. She made her way over to it, trying to hear what the elves were saying.  
  
"So what happened between you and Anna?" she heard Haldir ask.  
  
A small sigh was heard from the other occupant of the room. "We got into an argument. She says that I think I own her," Legolas said sadly.  
  
"Well, do you?"  
  
"Of course not! How could you ever say such a thing like that?"  
  
"I don't know. I haven't talked to you for at least 5 years. You could have changed."  
  
"I haven't, Haldir. I am still the same person.  
  
Anna then heard another log being thrown onto the fireplace and some movement around the room. She let out a sigh and immediately regretted it. The movement stopped and Legolas asked, "What was that?"  
  
I know not. Maybe Anna is awake," Haldir replied.  
  
Anna jumped back from the door and looked down at her attire. She hadn't realized before that she was still in her leggings and tunic. If Legolas were to see it, he would ask many unwanted questions.  
  
The footsteps were coming closer to the door, so Anna sprinted as quietly as she could across the room, not making a sound, and sliding into bed; covering her body in blankets.  
  
The doorknob turned painfully slow, and Anna knew that Haldir was trying to giver her as much time as possible. Legolas, becoming impatient, pushed the door open and strode into the room. Haldir followed close behind and let out a held breath seeing that Anna was under the cover and not walking around in the tunic and leggings.  
  
"Good evening," Legolas said and smiled, though it was strained.  
  
"Mae govannen," Anna said, saying the only bit of elvish that she knew.  
  
"I went looking for you at the infirmary. When you weren't there, I began to worry that you had done something foolish like run off by yourself again," Legolas said. Anna opened her mouth and gaped. Those words had felt like a slap on the face; and apparently Legolas had wanted them to feel that way.  
  
"You come here to mock me? Did I get off the leash you have me on?" she asked coldly. "If you have come here to mock me, then save it. I am in no mood to be reprimanded like a child."  
  
"Forgive me. It was only said in jest," Legolas replied, frowning. "I really was worried when I didn't see you in the infirmary. Why did you come here? Did Lord Elrond give you permission to leave?"  
  
"Thank you for being worried, but I'm fine," she snapped. "I need to be more comfortable, so I came here. And no, I do not have permission from Lord Elrond, but I doubt he will mind. I am on my way to full recovery."  
  
"That's good to hear," Legolas replied, ignoring her snappish tone.  
  
"Haldir," Anna said, "can you take me out on the balcony? I need some fresh air."  
  
"Of course, milady," he replied and moved to the side of the bed and handed Anna her robe. He then turned his back to her; obviously trying to make Legolas think that her clothing was not appropriate. Legolas stood up and turned his back to Anna as well. She smiled at Haldir's cleverness and realized that he made a very good March warden and army general.  
  
They slowly made their way out of the large French doors and out into the cool air on the balcony. Anna leaned against the railing and Haldir stood beside her.  
  
"Lady Galadriel," Haldir said softly, "has given me temporary leave of my post. She bids me to take you anywhere in Middle Earth that you want to go, and then return to the Golden Wood."  
  
"That's good news," she replied sadly.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
She sighed softly and replied, "I am going to miss Rivendell. It's the only home I have ever known, and it's probably the best one I could have. Lord Elrond has been like a father to me, and Arwen like my sister; though now I find out that they really are somewhat of a father and sister to me. I just don't think that I will be as happy anywhere else as I was here."  
  
"I know what you mean. I feel the same about leaving Lothlorien. That is the only home I have ever know and I am sure that I will miss it." He leaned on the railing next to Anna. "You could always come to Lothlorien. Come back to your true home, the home that you grew up in."  
  
"I can't," was all she said and turned away from the city. She could see Legolas sitting in the chair, watching her with an unreadable expression. "When do we leave?"  
  
Tomorrow before dawn," Haldir replied and started to walk back to the room. "If you wish to say farewell to anyone, I would do it now." He then left her on the balcony by herself and soon exited the room with Legolas.  
  
"Farewell, she whispered to the sparkling town below her and went back into her room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The door to her room creaked open, and Anna quickly shut the book she had been reading and pushed it hastily under her pillow. It was and an atlas of Middle-Earth and she was still trying to find a good place to go.  
  
Aragorn's head come through the opening of the door and he smiled sadly. "You weren't at dinner this evening, so I brought you something to eat." He pushed the door open the rest of the way, balancing a tray in his arms and placed it on Anna's bed before closing the door behind him. Anna pulled the tray in her lap and surveyed the food. There was a large plate of fruit and bread with a small glass of wine.  
  
"Thank you," she said and started eating some of her food. Aragorn sat down beside her and frowned slightly.  
  
"I also want to apologize for this," he said, gesturing to her stomach where the healing wound was. "We knew that we were being tracked, so I sent Arwen ahead and stayed behind with a few of the soldiers. When you took your sword from it's sheath and raised it in challenge, I let the men fight. Please forgive me, I did not know who you were; you were dressed in men's clothing and had a hood over your face."  
  
Anna nodded her head in understanding and said, "It's not your fault. It was a mistake."  
  
"I'm glad that you aren't holding this against me," Aragorn replied. His face turned solemn and his voice turned every bit a kings and said, "Just promise me that you won't go running off by yourself again. Please."  
  
She bit her lip and said, "I promise that I won't go running off by myself again. It was a foolish thing to do before, and I am sorry that I did."  
  
"As long as I have your word, then I am at ease," he said.  
  
"Good," she replied, then got quiet. She pushed a few pieces of fruit around her plate, worried about leaving the next morning.  
  
"What's wrong?" Aragorn asked, concerned.  
  
"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head. "Thank you for the food, but I am not very hungry. I think that I need a bit of rest."  
  
"That's probably a good idea. I shall see you in the morning, then," he said, bowing slightly, then leaving. Anna lay back on her bed and actually did intend to sleep; but sleep didn't come for quite some time.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Haldir slipped into Anna's room before the sun rose and only a small gray light showed on the horizon. He made his way through the darkness of the sitting room, hoping he didn't stumble over a chair and wake the whole of Imladris.  
  
He knocked softly on the door and when there was no answer, opened the door slowly and stepped inside. No light showed the room at all except for the small amount of light emitted by the fire's dying embers. The shades on the window were drawn, which made the darkness seem even blacker.  
  
The sound of steel flying through the air rang throughout the room and Haldir ducked quickly, and then looked up at the door where his head had been only moments before. A large dagger protruded from the wood and was still shaking from the force of the blow.  
  
"Are you alright?" Anna's frightened voice came from the bed.  
  
"I'm fine," Haldir replied, his voice not showing any of his fear. "Why did you try to kill me?"  
  
"I did not mean to throw the dagger, its just . . . . I had the dream again, about my captivity with the orcs, and when you came in, I just reacted. "  
  
"Do not worry about it. Are you ready to leave," he asked. She smiled and got out of bed, pulling her pack on her shoulders.  
  
They slipped quietly out to the stable where Haldir had readied their horses with food and water. As they rode off into the sunrise, Haldir turned to Anna and asked, "So, have you decided where you wish to go?"  
  
She contemplated the question for a moment before replying. "Rohan."  
  
A/N: RETURN OF THE KING!!!!!!!!!!! That movie is so completely awesome! Ahem, sorry just had to get that out of my system. Anyway, I finally updated! I know that I haven't updated in a while, but updates should start picking up now that Christmas break is almost here.  
  
Also, I made a mistake in my story. In chapter 12, Galadriel is telling everyone in the room that she married Anna and Elrohir "some years ago". I got really bored the other day and started reading the appendices in RotK, and found out that Elrond and Galadriel sail west around 6 months after the Ring is destroyed. Since this story takes place after the War of the Ring and for future purposes in my story, I am going to have Elrond and Galadriel sail west around 5 or 6 years after the War of the Ring. I hope that no one has a problem with this, and if they do, well . . . . they can just get over it.  
  
Namarie mellon-nins! 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable from Lord of the Rings.  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 15  
  
I knew it was a mistake. Allowing Haldir to take Anna away. The whole house is frantic with worry. They think that she has run off by herself again and everyone is scared for her safety. I have sat in the shadows and said little.  
Elrond knows something, but he will not ask me. He is the only one that notices Haldir's absence. I told him that Haldir had gone back to Lothlorien to guard the borders, but I do not think that he believes me.  
Legolas and Elrohir are the most distressed of all. Anna has both of their hearts in her hands, and the further away she gets, the more her hands squeeze them. Glorfindel and Elladan have tried to calm them down, but it is useless. Celeborn and I are the only ones that know what has truly happened.  
It was a mistake on my part for allowing her to leave. Many things will come to pass now that she is gone from our lives, albeit not gone forever.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Do you see that, Haldir?" Anna asked and squinted her eyes against the sun. Up ahead was a cluster of rocks and among the rocks were a few structures that looked like tents.  
Haldir scanned the horizon and immediately picked out the tents that were hidden among the rocks. He sighed and urged his horse along and called back to Anna. "I can not tell whom the camp belongs to. I think that we should ride to the encampment to see who they are." Anna nodded and spurred her horse into a gallop and went past Haldir.  
"What are you doing? Come back here with me. They could be enemies and . . . . ." Haldir yelled but stopped mid sentence. He smiled slightly to himself as he realized who he was yelling that to. Anna had defeated Isildur's heir without hardly breaking a sweat and beaten a least a dozen Gondorian soldiers in less that 5 minutes.  
He nudged his horse to go faster and quickly caught up with Anna. Both reached the camp at the same time and dismounted from their horses. The camp looked deserted and Haldir frowned as he realized what type of camp they were in had once been. An orc camp. He turned his attention to Anna who was going from tent to tent seeing if there were any people in the camp.  
She went behind a rock and Haldir followed her. A small tent sat away from the others and Anna walked toward it. She pulled back the flap and almost screamed. Her knees gave way beneath and she couldn't stand on her own legs.  
Haldir rushed foreword and tried to console her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her eyes were wide and stared blankly at the ground. When she wouldn't even look at him, Haldir cautiously opened the tent door.  
What he saw made his stomach turn. There were about seven or eight dead bodies piled up against one side of the tent. The bodies were deeply decayed, the stench of rotting flesh overwhelming.  
He immediately left the tent and knelt beside Anna. "Come on, we have to get you away from here," he whispered and tried to help her on her feet, but her legs wouldn't let her stand. He sighed and gathered her into his arms and carried her away from the camp.  
Haldir gently lay her down on the ground and said to her, "Anna, can you hear me?" She looked over at him and started to whimper. "It will be fine, you are just in shock."  
"I know those people," she said softly. He looked at her, surprise evident in his eyes. "They were the rangers that I had traveled with. I thought that they had died on the spot, but I guess that the orcs took them as prisoners. I wonder if any of them are left. But they couldn't be; orcs don't leave anyone alive unless they are under specific orders not to kill, like with me." Haldir was getting worried with her ramblings, but he didn't have a chance to worry for long as he saw a glint of metal fly from behind a large rock.  
Faster than the human eye could see, he jumped in from of Anna to shield her from the arrow that flew straight toward her head. A blinding pain shot through his left shoulder. He quickly pulled his sword out with his right hand stood up, trying to ignore the pain, but he found Anna with her blade already drawn.  
"Whoever you are, come out and fight like a man! Do not be a coward and hide behind the rocks!" she called angrily, her grief appearing to have evaporated for the moment.  
"Kementari? Kem, is that you?" a voice called weakly from behind the rock.  
"It can't be," she whispered and dropped her sword to the ground with a clatter.  
"Anna, what are you doing?! Pick up your sword," Haldir ground out through the pain from the arrow imbedded in his shoulder.  
Anna turned and leaned down in front of Haldir. She carefully touched the arrow and he gasped in pain. "Do it," he growled and closed his eyes tightly.  
"Right," she whispered and wrapped her fingers around the arrow shaft and pulled the arrow out with all her strength. He let out a small cry and tensed as even more pain went through him. Anna ripped a large piece of cloth from the bottom of her cloak and bound Haldir's wound.  
"Kem, are you still there?" the weak voice called out again. Anna stood up quickly and walked over behind the rock. Halbarad was leaning with his back against the rock. His face was pale and very thin, like he hadn't eaten in a week.  
Anna sat down across from him and tried to smile. "I thought that you were dead," she whispered. "You died right in front of my eyes."  
He smiled sadly and replied, "Some of us did die, but about five of us were captured and taken with the orcs. They tortured and killed the rest of them eventually, except for me. They injured me enough to where I couldn't walk and left me here to die."  
"How are you injured?' she asked, suddenly evaluating the ranger's situation. One of Halbarad's legs was broken and the other badly burnt. Haldir suddenly appeared from behind the rocks with a wafer if lembas and a flask of water and handed it to Halbarad as Anna cleaned his wounds. They camped a little way away from the camp, and rose early the next morning before the sun had risen.  
The travelers rode hard for the next couple of weeks trying to get to Rohan as fast as possible. Since neither elf was very experienced in healing, they tried to make it to Edoras and find an able healer.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Haldir's eyes flashed over to the form jumping easily from tree to tree. He smiled and stood up from his position beside the fire. The ranger was asleep and Anna was on watch. The shadow in the trees passed over his head as he made his way further into the forest.  
Anna jumped and landed in front of Haldir. He didn't even move. He sighed and said, "You really should be quieter. And I also saw your shadow moving from tree to tree." She frowned and walked back toward the camp.  
"You really shouldn't test me while I'm sentry. I could have put another arrow in you, then you wouldn't even be able to move," she called over her shoulder. But when she did, he was gone.  
She stood with her hands on her hips staring at the place Haldir had last stood. Suddenly she felt a hand brush her shoulder and she whirled around. Haldir smirked at her startled face and said coolly while leading the way back to camp. "You were taught stealth and tracking from Men. You are an elf; you should be taught by an elf."  
Anna scowled and watched as Haldir sat beside the fire. His arm was still wounded and that was why she had insisted on keeping watch most of the nights. Sure Haldir could jump through a couple of trees for about 10 minutes, but after that he would slow and get tired and Anna didn't want to take the chance that any orcs would attack and he wouldn't be able to do anything. She walked slowly around the perimeter of the camp making sure everything was secure before sitting down on her blanket beside the fire. Haldir had lay down on his back and was looking up at the stars.  
"What was it like," she asked quietly.  
Haldir turned his head from the sky and looked at Anna. "What was what like?" he asked.  
"The War of the Ring," she replied. "What was your part in the war?"  
He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to fend off the pain that always threatened to overwhelm him whenever he though about that time. "I led out troops . . . I mean, Lothlorien troops to help the men of Rohan. Saruman was attacking helm's Deep. The elves chose to help." A small shudder ran through his body as the memories resurfaced. The blood. The blood of men, elves, and orcs running down the stone, bodies everywhere; you had to step over the bodies of your comrades and enemies alike.  
"Are you alright?" Anna asked and she moved toward him carrying her blanket. She laid it around his shoulders and he accepted gratefully, even though he knew the chills weren't from the cold night. "I know something is wrong. Will you not tell me?" Anna asked and sat down beside Haldir. He pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders and didn't say anything. Anna sighed and said, "Very well then. It helps to talk to other people about what troubles you." She then stood up and went toward the trees.  
As she reached the tree line she heard a soft voice call from behind her. "Wait." She turned around and walked back to the fire and sat down beside Haldir again. He looked at her face, studying her for a moment before facing the fire again. "We were at Helm's Deep. There was 10,000 Uruk-Hai. Not the kind that captured you, these are more ruthless and twisted by Saruman's evil ways. Aragorn called a retreat and I tried to make my way through the Uruk-Hai to get to the keep. I got a large cut on my arm," he said quietly. He shivered again and continued, "I should have seen it coming, but I didn't sense the Uruk-Hai behind me before it was too late. The foul creature took an axe and struck me in the back with it. If not for Aragorn and those healing abilities he has, I probably would have died. That was one of the worst battles I have ever been in."  
He turned to her and smiled, though Anna could tell it was strained and false. "Don't worry about me," he said and stood up stiffly. "Get some sleep. You have been on watch for two days straight now." Anna frowned and picked up her blanket from the ground. She wrapped it around her body and lay down on the cold, hard ground.  
  
* * * * *  
  
They rested on the ridge that overlooked the Gap of Rohan. Anna stood keeping watch yet again, and looked over the land what would be her new home. She was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around quickly to look into the smiling face of Halbarad.  
"It's great to see you again, Kem. I was so worried when the orcs attacked," he said and looked out over the Gap as well.  
"I could have stayed and helped you. Why did you send me away?" she asked.  
"I didn't want you to get hurt. I care about you too much," he replied.  
"I would have been fine. When I was in Rivendell I beat Aragorn!" she said, getting angry.  
"Really? I guess I underestimated your skills," he laughed. "I am glad that you got to meet him, he is an extraordinary person."  
Anna smiled but cringed as a pain in her stomach started. She put a hand on her stomach and turned away from Halbarad. The wound on her stomach had started hurting since all of the hard riding they had been doing. Though she would never tell Haldir; he might take her back to Rivendell, and she couldn't have that.  
"What's wrong?" Halbarad asked, concern flashing across his face.  
"Oh, it's nothing," she muttered and walked back over to the campfire. Haldir lay with his eyes glazed over in elven dreams his head turned toward the sky. His shoulder had been getting even worse, Anna noticed, though he would never say anything about it.  
She sighed and gazed into the fire. She hoped that this new life would be a good one and that she could stop worrying about what everyone else was doing and focus on getting her own life back on track.  
  
A/N: Not much to say after this chapter. I will try as hard as I can to get the next chapter up next Friday, but I made no promises. On Saturday I have an orchestra competition and I will be practicing me violin all week long. Sorry if this chapter isn't as great as the rest of them, I haven't had very much inspiration lately. 


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I own no recognizable characters or places from the Lord of the Rings. Anna is mine.  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 16  
  
The sun rose over the plains and two horses trotted over the dew covered grass. Edoras rose upon a large hill in the distance, the Golden Hall towering over the small homes situated around its base.  
"That's Edoras?" Anna asked disbelievingly. She had often thought about what it would look like, but she had never expected this.  
"Indeed Kementari, it is," Halbarad said from behind her. She turned and smiled at him before facing the grand city once again.  
The trio rode hard for the rest of the day before reaching the gates by nightfall. Anna pulled her hood over her head, covering her head and shadowing her face. The guard stopped and eyed then warily, for he couldn't tell who the travelers were.  
"Halt travelers," he said confidently, though he seemed very young still.  
"We wish to speak with your king," Haldir said what would seem arrogantly. Anna smirked at the scard look on the boy's face from the coldness in Haldir's voice.  
"Who calls upon King Eomer this late in the evening?" the guard asked.  
"I am Haldir of Lothlorien," Haldir replied. "And this is Halbarad, ranger of the North. We bid you let us speak with your lord."  
The guard nodded, seeming to not notice Anna who had moved behind Halbarad on the horse before they reached the gates. They were led thorugh the quieting city streets to the stables where everyone dismounted. The guards excused themselves, saying they had to return to their posts. So they left the weary travelers to walk alone to Meduseld.  
All were let in and approached the throne at the far end of the hall. A man with long blond hair stood from the throne and smiled warmly at the three that walked toward him. He was tall and strong, obviously the leader of Rohan.  
Eomer walked toward them and said," Welomce, haldir. It is good to see you again, my friend."  
"It has been a long time, Lord Eomer," Haldir replied and bowed slightly.  
Eomer laughed and grasped Haldir's should tightly before letting go. "No need for formalities, friend. Who are these two who travel with you?"  
Haldir was about to answer when Eomer stopped him. "You are hurt," he said to Halbarad, who was leaning on Anna slightly. Halbarad nodded and Eomer motioned over a servant. "Please take Halbarad to the Healing Wing and make sure he gets medical attention." The servant nodded before leading Halbarad out of the throne room. Eomer then turned to the two remaining and said, "Come, you must be hungry. Dine with me and tell me your tale."  
They followed him down a long hallway to a large room that had a long, ornatly decorated table in the center. Each seated themselves and Eomer motioned for a cook to bring their food out to them.  
When dinner had started, Haldir finally got a chance to get to the introductions, "That man that was injured was Halbarad, Ranger of the North, one of the Dunadain. He was ambused by orcs and we found him on our way here, the only one left of his companions." He then turned to Anna, who had yet to be fully noticed by the king, and she quickly made sure that her long hair covered the point on the tips of her ears. Haldir noticed this, but decided that he would ask her about it later, then he turned back to Eomer and said, "This is my other companion, who has traveled her with me from - "  
But Anna, thinking quickly, cut him off and said hastily, "From Gondor. I am Ardanil of Gondor."  
Eomer raised an eyesbrow and replied, "I didn't realize that they had such beauties in Gondor."  
Annd blushed and was about to reply when Haldir cut in. "She wishes to work here as a maid, if you have room on your staff for her."  
"Certainly," Eomer replied and said, "Franvanil will take you to your room if you would follow her. You can start work tomorrow morning." Anna nodded mutly before turning to Haldir with pleading eyes.  
"I shall come find you later," he said softly. A look of relief spread across her face. She may have been able to face Gondorian soldiers, but being ina new place still made her a little scared. Anna nodded and stood up before following a serving girl out of the dinning hall and down a narrow corridor to another part of the caste.  
Once they had left the room, Eomer turned to Haldir and asked, "What is the real reason why she is here?" Haldir looked a little shocked, but Eomer frowned. "I may only be a man, but I am not stupid. Why would you just pick up a woman from the street and accompany her here? Now tell me, why is she really here?"  
Haldir sighed and said, "She is rather confused right now about something that is going on in her life. She is a dear friend of mne, and she asked for my help while I was visiting Aragorn in Gondor."  
"You still aren't telling me the whole truth, but worry not. I won't try to get it out of you, because I know that if it was important, then you would tell me. Go get some rest, you look like and orc," Eomer said before leaving the room. Haldir smirked before turning to leave also.  
Instead of going to his room, though, he went in search of Anna. He found her in a small room in the servant's quarters. She was layng on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Why did you lie to him?" Haldir asked softly.  
Anna turned her head slightly to look at him and replied, "If I told him my name was Kementari, Elrohir could find me. If I said my name was Anna, Legolas could easily find me. I knew someone names Ardanil in Rivendell and that was the first thing that came to my mind."  
Why didn't you rell him you were an elf? Why did you hide your ears behind you hair and let him think that you were a human?" he asked a little loudly. This incease in his voice made Anna sit up completely on the bed.  
I didn't tell him because he doesn't need to know. That is another way that they could have found me. I mean, how often do elves come to Edoras and ask for a position as a maid? Not many, I'm sure."  
You don't think the King of Rohan deserves to know who is working on his staff?" Haldir asked and stepped in the room, closing the door. "And do you plan on hiding forever? I thought this little trip was to help clear the tension in the air."  
"I am going to clear the tension, forever. I plan on staying here for a while, and if I do leave, it certainly won't be to go back to Rivendell," she replied cooly before moving toward the door.  
Haldir stopped her by standing in front of the door and stopping her exit. "You realize that both Legolas and Elrohir are deeply in love with you? You do realize that you are still married to Elrohir and when Lord Elrond leaves these shores to go to Valinor, you must help Elrohir rule over Imladris along with Elladan and whoever he choses to wed?"  
"I care not, Haldir. I do not wish to be married to Elrohir, I don't even know him. Now please move," she said icily. Haldir stood where he was, putting up the emotionless mask that he was known for.  
"I beg you to reconsider. Legolas and Elrohir will be heartbroken when they see that you have dissapeared. You didn't see the state they were in when Aragorn brought you back near Death's door."  
"Then they shall grieve together and forget me."  
"What about Lord Elrond, Arwen, Glorfindel, Elladan, Aragorn? You have become very dear to them all. By the Valar, Anna, you are Lord Elrond's daughter now! Don't you see this will destroy him too. He thought of you as a daughter even before he found out that you were married to his son."  
Anna glared at him and replied, "They shall all be hurt, but they will move on. Why did you even help me if you felt this way? You had to have known that i was leaving and not going back. I didn't think you were that naive."  
Haldir bit his lip. He had had suspicions, but he had hoped that she wouldn't end up being so selfish. "I helped you because Lady Galadriel asked mt to, though I probably would have tried to change her mind is I had know you were going to act like this," he said disgusted and turned and left the room quckly, slamming the door behind him.  
She went over to her bed and collapsed on it. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and held her resolve. Her mind had tried to keep up a strong barrier, ignoring everything that happened in the past. But now the only person that she had ever been able to talk to was angry with her and everything that was happening was too much for her mind to handle. She sat on her bed with her knees pulled to her chest and her head staring blankly at the wall in front of her. That was how she stayed until early in the morning when Franvanil came to give her the list of her chores for the day.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"My lord?" Anna asked as she hesitantly walked ino the study. Eomer looked up from his desk and smiled before bidding her to enter.  
"You are looking for Haldir, are you not?" he asked and Anna nodded meekly. "I am sorry, Ardanil, but he left for Lothlorien early this morning. He seemed very upset about something, but he would not tell me what it was that upset him."  
Anna's heart fell at hearing those words. She has been a fool and now Haldir was gone. "Thank you, my lord," she said and bowed quickly before leaving the room right as Eomer was about to say something to her.  
She dashed down the front stairs of Meduseld and ran to the stables located near the edge of the city. Anna sprinted through the entrance and past the suprised stable hand. Her breath stopped as she neared Haldir's horses stall. Eomer was right, Haldir was gone. Her resolve finally broke and she started crying, the tears streaming down her face and falling onto her hands. She leaned against the stall door and continued her crying. When no more tears would come, she stood and walked back to find Franvanil. Hopefully, someday Haldir would understand why she did this, but until then, she would start her new life.  
  
A/N: I'm sorry that I didn't post this on Friday like I promised I would. I have been really busy lately and didn't have chance to type this chapter up. But fear not, I have already started writing chapter 17, so that should be out soon. This isn't a great chapter, and I didn't have a chance to spell check it, so please don't review and say that I need to watch my spelling and grammer, because I already realize that I probably made quite a few mistakes. I am also looking for a good beta reader, so if you are interested, then e-mail me about it.  
  
Thanks to all of you who wished me luck at my competition. That really means a lot to me.  
  
I have a few comments I would like to make to some reviewers quickly:  
  
lotrfreek, in The Two Tower, Haldir did die. But this fanfiction so I decided to make it where he was just unconcious after he got the axe stuck in his back. Plus, in the books, the elves don't even go to help the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep, so I don't think that having him live is that big of a deal. stupid Peter Jackson (string of incoherent colorful adjectives) HALDIR LIVES!!! ahem, sorry about that, just makes me mad that PJ killed Haldir.  
  
Vampiress Adora, 'ada' does mean father, but that is in Sindarin. 'atar' mean father in Quenyan. So I was actually correct. 


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable from the Lord of the Rings. Anna/Kementari/Ardanil (hehehe, she's having an identity crisis just like Aragorn/Strider/Estel/Elessar/Thorongil/etc.) is of my own creation and cannot be used without my permission.  
  
#####  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 17  
  
10 years later  
  
Anna smiled as she ran the brush through the horse's mane. This had been one of her favorite horses the whole time she had been in Rohan. She had started working as a maid in the palace, but when Eomer had found out she had a special way with horses, he had made her a stable hand and for years now she had spent most of her time with the horses and didn't see very many people. That had ever bothered her though, since she was a person who wished to be alone most of the time. Her memories still hadn't returned to her, and not even a scene had come through her dreams since she left Rivendell.  
She tucked a stray piece of hair that had fallen from her messy braid behind her ear and hung the brush on a nail in the back of the stall. She returned once more to the horses side and rubbed it's neck and made sure the scarf was positioned over her ears before leaving the stall and making her way through the crowded Edoras streets to her room.  
"Ardanil! Ardanil!" she heard someone call out from behind her. She turned around and smiled as she saw Kaden run up to her. He was around 7 years old and was a servant in the Golden Hall. His parents had died in a fire a few years ago on their farm and Kaden had been brought to Edoras to be in the service of the King. When he arrived, he was very scared because he hadn't been to the city before and the ways of the people were somewhat new to him. Anna had immediately taken him under her wing and he warmed up to her quickly.  
"Slow down, Kaden," she said as he almost ran into her. "What's so important?"  
"Franvanil wants everyone who works for the King the gather in the Hall. The King himself wants to talk to us!" Kaden said, almost bursting with excitement. Eomer wasn't one of those leaders who thinks himself incredibly higher than his servants like most other kings would. Even so, it was unusual for him to talk to his entire staff unless it was something important.  
"Well then, we had better not keep the King waiting," she replied and took Kaden's hand in hers before heading up the steps to the Golden Hall. Almost fifty people were crowded into the Hall, waiting for the King to come. Everyone was chatting excitedly to each other, wondering what the important news was.  
When Eomer entered, everyone bowed low, even Anna, though she had never really thought of him as her King. After a moment everyone rose and waited patiently for Eomer to start speaking.  
"I have called all of you in here," he said, pacing back and forth in front of the room, "to tell you that we will be having very important quests arriving within the week. King Elessar of Gondor along with the leaders of Rivendell, Lothlorien, and Mirkwood will be visiting the city for a while. So I expect you to be attentive and cater to the needs of our guests."  
Anna felt her heart sink with dread at those words. They were all coming here and would be staying for at least a month, no doubt. How could she hide? She left Rivendell to get away from them, and now they were coming to her. As she thought about it, her fear abated a bit as she realized it was only the leaders that were coming. Elrohir and Legolas probably would not journey this far, and those were the only two people that she needed to get away from. Haldir would be coming, of course, since he always traveled with the Lady of the Golden Wood, but maybe she could finally apologize for her actions and explain why she intended to stay in Rohan and not go back to Rivendell in the first place.  
"Guess what!" Kaden said, suddenly standing in front of her.  
"What?" she asked, putting on a fake smile for his sake. He didn't need to know her troubles. No one knew anything about her except for Eomer, and he knew very little since he still believed her to be Ardanil from Gondor.  
"I overheard King Eomer talking to someone and he said that one of the elves coming was one who helped the people at Helm's Deep." So it was for sure that Haldir coming. That was good. "The King also said that elf was in the Fellow-"  
"Ardanil," a serving girl said and walked quickly over to her, cutting off what Kaden was about to say, although that Hall was so loud that Anna hadn't even heard anything after the elf being at Helm's Deep. "King Eomer would like to speak with you." Anna nodded and followed the girl down the twisting hallways to Eomer's study.  
Eomer was sitting at his desk, bent over a stack of papers when Anna entered. He looked up and smiled, motioning for her to take a seat in front of his desk. The serving girl bowed and left quickly.  
"You wanted to speak to me, my Lord?" She asked.  
"Yes," he replied and looked up from his papers again. "I would like for you to be the one to care for the guests horses personally. I hear that the Lords Elladan and Elrohir's horses are elven bred and very difficult to handle and no man could care for them efficiently, so I wish for you to care for them."  
Anna's mouth opened in shock at what Eomer had said. Elladan and Elrohir were coming to Edoras. "What of Lord Elrond? Does he not accompany his sons?"  
"Nay, Lord Elrond sailed West two years ago along with Lady Galadriel, King Thranduil, and Gandalf."  
"So-so Legolas is now the King, and he's coming here," Anna whispered to herself. Suddenly she was feeling sick. Then she remembered what else Eomer had said. "What did you mean by no man?"  
Eomer smiled and replied, "Does all of your kind think me stupid? I know that you are an elf."  
"How did you find out? I was so careful," she whispered. And indeed she had been. Every time she left the stables she wore a scarf over her head to cover her ears and when she was with the horses or asleep, her hair was braided with her ears covered.  
"Considering that it's been 10 years since I first hired you and you haven't aged a day, that was a large clue. Also the way you are with the animals, how you can just calm the horses down with a few soft words. I have known Haldir for around 15 years and I know that he doesn't make very many human friends. I think that King Elessar and I are the only ones. It hasn't been very hard for me to figure out," he said and moved around the desk and pulled the scarf from her head. Her hair fell in her face and the point of her ears came through the thick brown hair. "The only thing that I haven't yet figured out is why that you would want to work in Meduseld as a maid and conceal you elvish heritage."  
Anna's mouth dropped open and a silence came over the room. So, he knew about her being an elf. He would tell one of the elves coming and it would somehow get back to Legolas or Elrohir. They would all know that she was here.  
"Will you please tell me the truth? About who you really are?" Eomer asked. Anna shook her head and stood up, grabbed her scarf out of his hand, tied it around her head to recover her ears and walked to the door. "Stop!" Eomer called as she had just reached the door, her hand on the knob. "Don't leave. I want you to tell me what is going on!"  
She turned around and looked at Eomer. He was shocked at what he saw in her eyes. Just as Legolas and Elrohir, he had always thought of her as shy and soft-spoken all of the time. But the rage he saw in her eyes was something that he had never seen before.  
"I don't have to tell you anything," she said coldly. "But I shall tell you if you wish. I was traveling from Lothlorien to Rivendell with three other elves. Orcs kidnapped me and took me hostage. The elves rescued me, but got themselves captured in the process. I ran away and after a few days without food and water I came upon a group of rangers. They were going to Rivendell as well and allowed me to travel with them. I learned how to track, hunt, and defend myself under their guidance. The orcs that had taken me followed the rangers and murdered what I thought was every one of them before my eyes. I ran again, toward what direction I thought that Rivendell was in and didn't stop for a week. I collapsed in a field outside of Rivendell and was found by Arwen and Aragorn. When I woke up, I didn't remember who I was, not even my own name. Lord Elrond gave me a name, Anna, and let me stay in Rivendell as long as I needed. I then dreamed about the orc attack and the rangers, so to this day, that is all that I remember or my past. I became close to Legolas and Haldir. When I finally figured out that I had feelings for Legolas, I went in to tell him, but was greeted by the three elves I had been traveling with from Lothlorien to Rivendell. Apparently they were Elrohir, Elladan, and Glorfindel. And even more surprising was that I found out that I was married to Elrohir and we were on our way back to Rivendell before to tell Lord Elrond the news. Legolas and Elrohir fought over me. I decided that I wanted neither of them and left for Edoras to get away from everyone. I have been hiding here ever since, hoping that they wouldn't find me."  
Now it was Eomer's turn to open his mouth in shock. "So," he said in awe "You are married to Lord Elrohir, even though you don't remember anything about ever meeting him. And you are still currently married to him and have been working for me even though you could be in Rivendell having everything that you could ever want?"  
"Yes," she replied matter-of-factly.  
"Why?" he asked simply.  
Anna looked at him a moment and shook her head before turning to leave. She didn't want anyone to know that, at least not yet. "I'm leaving. I can't stay if they are coming. It has been nice working here, my lord. Good day."  
"How will you leave, you don't have a horse," he said, folding his arms across his chest.  
"I'll walk," she replied coolly before walking out the door. Eomer tried to say something, but she was already out of the door.  
She walked down the hallway quickly, not looking at anyone that she passed. This didn't bother most of the servants, since she had always ignored everyone anyway. Her steps quickened as she reached her room. She went in and threw all of her possessions and the small amount of money she had collected, enough for a night stay in a cheap in, into a small bag. Her sword that had been given to her by Arwen in Rivendell was hidden under the mattress of her bed. That was her most prized possessions, and she would never forget that here. She hadn't used it in the 10 years she had been in Edoras, but thankfully elven swords didn't rust, so nothing was seriously wrong with it.  
She strapped the sword to her waist and put her cloak on to cover it up. When she was finally ready, Anna left her room without a backward glance and headed to the gates of the city.  
But she only got halfway there, however, when Kaden ran up to her. "Where are you going?"  
Anna smiled and replied, "I'm leaving. I don't think I will be back. So be good and learn all that you can."  
Kaden frowned and asked, "Where are you going?"  
"I'm not sure," was all that was said before she walked swiftly out the gates of Edoras and yet another life.  
  
#####  
  
A/N: Hello everyone. Sorry if this took too long, but I've been rather lethargic lately and not been in the mood to type this up. But worry not, for I have already written most of the next chapter and that should be coming within the next week. Oh, and if you have been following Fellowship of the Kiwis, then the 7th chapter should (hopefully) be updated soon as well.  
  
I want to say a special thanks to aragorns_gurl33 for betaing this chappy for me!  
  
And I also want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far, because I now have over 200 reviews! And if you have been reading this, but not reviewing then I am going to encourage you to do so, since without all the wonderful reviews, I don't think this story would be half as good as it is. You all give me inspiration!!!!  
  
Namarie Mellon-nins! Kristen 


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I own no characters or places from Lord of the Rings. The plot and Anna/Kementari/Ardanil, and are mine.  
  
* * * * * Cold Heart Chapter 18  
Thankfully, Anna's elvish heritage made it easier for her to walk the miles she did and not collapse. She had stayed at an inn the second night of her travels, but for the last week she had been walking and sleeping in the wilderness. Every time she came upon a farmhouse, she would ask if there were any jobs that she could do for them. But, they had all denied her and told her to ask when she got to the next town. Only the next town hadn't come. She had been walking for a week and come upon no such town.  
She sighed and leaned up against a nearby tree. Her hands moved instinctively to the satchel that held the last amount of her food. When she noticed this, she pulled away her wandering hand. She had to save the food for when she really needed it.  
"And what would a maiden be doing wandering on her own around in this wild country?" a voice asked from over her head. Anna jumped and started to back away from the tree when she hit something. She turned her head and looked up into the frowning face of a man with long blonde hair and blue eyes. An elf.  
"I know not, my friend. Perhaps she is a servant that ran away from her master? She certainly looks like it with that large amount of dirt covering her face," the elf said. Anna tried to move out of his way, but he moved along with her and blocked her path.  
"Where do you come from?" the elf in the tree asked. Anna stared for a moment and then shook her head. She didn't have to tell them anything. She wasn't like one of the servants who were working in Edoras and were . . . asked to work for the king, like most of the people who worked in Edoras. The people wouldn't go as far as to call it slavery. The servants were more like indentured servants; they worked to pay off a debt that they hadn't been able to pay or stay in a warm place if they didn't have anywhere else to go. But if she told them who she really was, then she wouldn't be able to get away again.  
"Edoras," she croaked out of her dry throat. The elf behind her frowned slightly.  
"We shall have to take her with us to Edoras. I am sure the king wouldn't mind."  
"Very well," the elf said and went to stand in front of Anna. "We are going to take you back to Edoras. Don't try to run away from us because we are elves and would easily be able to catch you very quickly."  
Anna just nodded and followed one of the elves as the other one trailed behind her. Suddenly a horse halted in front of them. Her head reeled as she looked up into the face of the one person she definitely did not want see.  
Legolas sat atop the horse, his golden hair falling down his shoulders like liquid sunlight. His face was sharp and his ethereal beauty had not diminished in all the years they had been apart. They only thing different, Anna noticed, were his eyes. Before they had been light and full of life, only a twinge of sorrow around the edges. Now they were as hard as stone and as piercing as ever before. They held not joy or love, but only contempt for the things around him.  
He looked at the guard standing in front of her, and Anna quickly cast down her head. If he recognized her now, everything would be in vain. "What is the hold up?" he asked sharply, his words slicing through the air.  
"Your highness, we found this girl and we think she is a runaway from Edoras. We wish to take her with us to return her to her master," the elf said and bowed deeply.  
"Very well. But don't let the human hold up," he replied and urged his horse in the same direction that Anna had been running from. She let out a sigh of relief when he galloped away, hoping with all her heart that he didn't recognize her.  
"Come along girl. Don't get us in trouble," the elf behind her growled and none-too-gently pushed her forward so that they could quickly catch up with the rest of the group. * * * * * * *  
The fire crackled merrily and the elves sat around it, joking with each other in their native tongue. No one paid attention to the young girl who sat off to the side and away from the warmth of the fire. They had brought her some lembas twice a day as they had been traveling, but it was easy to tell that they all wanted to stay as far away from the 'filthy human' as much as possible.  
Anna lay on her back and stared up at the sky. The stars even after all these years of living among humans, still gave her the most comfort when something was wrong. There was something . . . someone else who could give her comfort, but he had stormed out of the city without even saying goodbye. Haldir was her only true friend. Even though Halbarad was a good friend, he had left about a week after Haldir, saying he needed to get back up North. So for 10 years she had snuck up to an abandoned guard tower and lie on the roof and let the stars sing their hopeful songs to her, telling her everything would be all right.  
Soon most of the elves had lay down beside the dying fire and the rest walked slowly around the perimeter of the camp. Legolas, of course, had the spot closest to the fire. He stared into the dwindling flames, thinking very hard about something.  
She looked at the trees and then back at the sleeping elves by the fire. The trees looked very inviting and she needed to be alone, so Anna stood silently and walked to the edge of the forest. If she tried to get too far away, the elves would catch her and send her back to camp, she walked into the woods and picked her way through the shrubs and trees to a small clearing they had passed earlier in the day. She could feel the eyes of the elven sentry on her back, daring her to run.  
She ignored them through, and sat down with her back against the tree. Her eyes closed and she listened to the quietness of her surroundings. The small trickle of water caught her attention and she opened her eyes again. If her guess was correct, a small stream lay a short way away from the clearing she was currently in. Her mind rejoiced at the thought of being clean.  
Anna stood up slowly again and walked quietly through the trees farther away from the camp to the source of the water. The trees grew thicker and the air heavier as she delved deeper into the woods. She thought of going back to the camp when she saw a glimmer ahead of her.  
She pushed through the last branches of the trees and smiled as she saw the welcoming water before her. Though something else drew her attention as she heard a soft voice singing a sad song somewhere down the small stream. Her curiosity got the better of her and she followed the melodious voice.  
Ahead, sitting on an outcropping over a small pool, bathed in moonlight, sat Legolas. He gazed down at the water thinking about something, his mouth curved in a smile as though remembering a fond memory. Slender, graceful fingers made lazy circles in the water, as his voice grew softer. Suddenly he splashed the water and with a disgusted look on his face stopped singing and turned away from the water. That was when he spotted Anna.  
She stiffened as his blue eyes locked onto hers and he stood up and stalked toward her. She froze, not able to move as he moved closer to her, his face contorted in anger.  
When he was only a few feet from her, Legolas stopped and said icily, "What are you doing here, girl? Trying to run away from us?" All that Anna could do was shake her head. If she spoke, he was sure to recognize her. "Why does the woman not speak? Are you mute?" Again Anna shook her head. "Then speak!" he ordered menacingly.  
She just shook her head and looked down. "You dare defy the King of Mirkwood?" he asked, his anger finally boiling over. He raised his hand back and let it fly, intending to slap her. Fortunately, she grabbed his wrist before his hand reached her face.  
"Did I do this to you?" she whispered, not realizing he had heard her until he pulled his arm from her grasp.  
"What did you say?" he snarled. Anna's eyes widened and she shook her head yet again. She couldn't afford another slip-up like that. "Speak!" he bellowed loudly, the sound resounding through the area. For once, Anna was actually frightened of Legolas. Had she really done this to him? Given him this freezing cold heart that wouldn't listen to reason?  
"Go back to camp, human," he ground out through clenched teeth. "We reach Edoras soon." She nodded silently and went slowly back to camp, completely ignoring the guards and forgetting the fact that she had never washed any of the dirt from her body. Now she bathed in guilt. * * * * * * * * * A/N: So... what did you think? I hope that you liked it. The next chapter will be more interesting, I promise. This story should be ending within 5 chapters or so. That is, if I finish it the way I intend. There are 2 things that I could do to the story from here and I'm not sure which to do. If all goes to plan it should be around 5 chapters at the max, but if I write it the other way, you're probably looking at 10 chapters minimum. So which would you, my readers, rather have? I would also like to say good job to some of the people who reviewed last chapter and guessed what was going to happen in this one. You all must have been on my same brainwave or something when I was writing this chapter. Shining Star of Valinor : If you read this and review again, can you please put your e-mail address in your review? I wanted to respond to your review from the last chapter and it might take up too much room here. Thanx. And one more thing. I don't know when the next chapter will be updated. I have it partially written, but I've had a lot of schoolwork lately and have not had time to write hardly anything, so don't be looking for chapter 19 for at least 2 weeks. I'll try to get it out before then, but i can't make any promises. Namarie,  
  
Kristen 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters or places from the Lord of the Rings. Anna is my own creation. **************************** Cold Heart Chapter 19  
"Move it girl," an elf growled from behind Anna and shoved her forward. She caught herself from falling; trying to save whatever dignity she had left. The elven soldiers continuously taunted her about her human clumsiness. If only they knew; if only they knew she was married to Elrohir of Rivendell, they would stop their tormenting and be put in their places. But she knew that she wouldn't dare tell a soul.  
All of the elves wanted to get to Edoras as soon as possible. Even though they were elves, the trek was hard and they all wanted to rest and relax. No one was paying much attention to their surroundings, considering themselves safe. But out of a clump of trees ran a large group of hideous orcs.  
Even though impossibly outnumbered, the elves drew their weapons and stood at ready for the approaching beasts. One of the elves came up to Anna. "Go hide in the trees. We can't keep an eye on you," he growled into her ear and shoved her in the direction of the small grove of trees.  
Time seemed to slow down as the orcs surrounded them, cutting off any attempt of Anna escaping. She debated within her head whether or not to draw the sword she had strapped under her cloak so the elves wouldn't find it. When they had found her, apparently they hadn't thought that she would have a weapon, so they just let her keep everything she had with her. Her decision was made for her, however, when a rather large orc appeared in front of her and smiled menacingly as it raised it's blade above her head. As fast as the eye could see, she withdrew her sword from the sheath and plunged it into the thing's throat. It looked surprised momentarily as it registered the fact it was dieing before its knees buckled and it fell to the ground in a heap.  
Anna pulled her sword out of the orc and immersed herself in the battle. She was so intent on killing the dreadful creatures that she didn't notice how far away from the others she had gotten until her back hit a large heavy piece of armor. She turned around suddenly and lost her breath as she saw who it was standing in front of her.  
Legolas was clutching his side as blood spilled from the wound. He was fighting the orcs as best he could, but it was obvious that he was weakening and almost ready to pass out. The orcs had apparently realized Legolas was the king and had gotten him off by himself.  
She was brought back to reality as a large metal blade came crashing down near her head. Quickly she brought her sword up to block the attack and disposed of the orc without any trouble. More kept coming at her, so she ignored everything else around her besides the orcs and killed them all within minutes.  
When she realized the orcs were gone, she came to her senses and looked around. The elven army was finishing off a few straggling orcs and checking on the wounded elves. They realized soon that their king wasn't among them, and started checking the dead elves to see if any were Legolas. One of the elves spotted Legolas on the ground, unconscious, and called to his companions as he ran over toward Legolas. Anna stepped out of the way and back to the side of the large group as they bound Legolas' wound and set about finding an herb that would bring him back to consciousness.  
Soon, however, when Legolas had been cared for, they noticed Anna standing by herself. Some of them came over to her, to check if she was also unhurt. They might taunt her about being clumsy and the like, but they didn't want her to die. One of the elves looked at her curiously and frowned. "Where did you get that elven sword?"  
All the other elves came closer, looking curiously at her. "It was a gift . . . from a friend," she replied quietly.  
"Oh really? And who would this friend of yours be?" Ciryatan, one of Legolas' top advisors asked from the back of the group, slowly making his way foreword. All attention returned to her, and all the elves held suspicious looks on their faces.  
"Just a friend. No one of importance," she said softly, not wanting to divulge the information just yet. Even if she told them, it was from Arwen; Anna doubted they would believe her.  
Ciryatan stepped toward her and snatched the sword from her hand. He held it up for a moment, examining it. Then he looked at Anna. "This sword if of high quality. Only a royal of an elven kingdom would be able to have a sword like this," he said, frowning. "Either you are a royal of an elven kingdom-," he said, and Anna distinctly heard some elves laughing, "-or you stole it."  
Several thoughts ran through Anna's head as some of the elves started advancing on her. They obviously had decided on the latter reason, and she guessed that no trial would take place. The only thing she could think of at the moment was to run, so that's what she did. With all her strength, she jumped and grabbed onto a branch above her, quickly swinging up and standing on the branch. Then she ran as fast as she could across the branches, and when she as out of view of the camp, jumped to the ground.  
She could hear the elves behind her, so she ran even faster, trying to get away. Anna knew that she could never outrun the warriors, but she had to try. When the sounds of the elves were gone, she stopped and tried to figure out how far she had run.  
Before she could think about it, however, an arrow was suddenly pointed at her head. On the other end of that arrow was a very angry elf. "Come with me, and I won't hurt you. The King has already awoken and will pay judgment upon you. If you run, I will not hesitate to put this arrow through your head," he said slowly. Anna could tell that he knew hardly any Common, but his point had gotten across.  
"Alright. I'll come," she said, the feeling of defeat overcoming her. The elf lowered his bow and pulled out some rope from his quiver and bound Anna's hands behind her back. He led her back to camp and she saw that the majority of the elves had returned, and all looked very annoyed with her.  
Anna was lead over to the small circle of elves who were gathered around a large tree. She found that rather strange, but when she got to the inner circle, she realized that it wasn't the tree they were crowded around, but Legolas, who was leaning against the tree. He seemed better and his wounds didn't seem as serious as they had before.  
"My lord," Ciryatan said, coming foreword and bowing to Legolas. Legolas waved his hand impatiently, bidding the elf to continue. "Shortly after the fight, we found this servant girl standing off to the side of the trees holding this sword," he said quickly, and handed the sword to Legolas. He started examining the sword and Anna shrank back trying to get as far away from his as possible. He would recognize her and . . . she didn't want to think about what would happen.  
She was brought back to attention by Legolas laying the sword on the ground and looking right at her for a moment before turning to Ciryatan. "Help me up," he said loudly. The elves around him shifted uncomfortably. They obviously didn't want to get their king hurt more, but one look from Legolas sent Ciryatan to his side. He lifted Legolas up and helped him to the center of the circle. "Bring the girl foreword," he said trying to cover up his pain.  
Anna was shoved foreword roughly until she was standing in front of Legolas. She kept her head down, not wanting Legolas to see who she was. Even thought she hoped that he wouldn't recognize her, she realized it was hopeless. Legolas moved his hand foreword and lifted her head up gently and looked into her eyes.  
His hand caressed her cheek and tilted her head up, whispering, "I've missed you, Anna." ************************************ A/N: I hope that you liked it. I tried to have it out earlier, but I was gone all weekend and didn't have a chance to update, so I apologize for the late update. The next one should be by Friday night or Saturday afternoon, most likely Saturday afternoon, so be looking for it. Also, I have decided to make this story about 5 more chapters, because I have an idea for a new story and want to get that straightened out in my head. So be prepared for this story to end within at least the next month. Thanks to my beta, aragorns-girl33. 


	20. Chapter 20

Discalimer: I own no characters, places, or event recognizable events from the Lord of the Rings.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 20  
  
Anna's eyes widened and she slipped her face out of his hand and backed away slowly; though there wasn't much place she could go since there was a large group of elves standing around her, watching her and Legolas's exchange with interest.  
  
"I know not of what you speak, my lord," she said, making sure to put her voice in a lower pitch, to try and disguise the elvish ring it held.  
  
Legolas looked at her in suprise before frowning. "What do you mean, you know not of what I speak? You are Anna, whom I met in Rivendell 10 years ago."  
  
She shook her head and replied, "Nay, I am Ardanil of Rohan, servant of the King." Her heart was pounding in her chest as she said these words. Would he see through the lie? Would he not belive her?  
  
"Don't lie to me," Legolas hissed. "I know that you are Anna. You have Elrohir's sword." Anna cursed silently. Why hadn't she thought of that before? Now all hope was lost. There was only one thing she could do.  
  
Quickly she ran foreward and snatched her sword from the ground. Before anyone could think, she held up her sword in an attacking stance. All of the elves looked at her in suprise, obviously not believing that she was challenging them. Some of them snickered and laughed at her. Only Legolas knew what she could do, and he watched her wearily, his hand resting on the hilt of his own sword.  
  
"Let me pass," she said to the elves before her. They just looked at her and started laughing again. "I don't want to hurt you, but you may leave me no choice. I have beat King Elessar in combat, and I could surely beat you. Please let me pass."  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Legolas asked.  
  
"Because I can't be with you," she replied softly.  
  
Legolas's mouth turned into a sneer and he asked, "Are you going back to your husband? I thought that you wanted neither of us. At least that's what you showed us when you left Rivendell."  
  
"Please," she whispered and lowered her sword. "Just let me continue on my way back to Gondor."  
  
"I thought that you were from Rohan," an elf from the large circle around the two asked. Anna turned to face him and glared before responding.  
  
"I lied," was all she said before turning back to Legolas. He looked at her evenly for a moment before nodding his head, though his eyes still held much anger.  
  
"You may leave. I cannot make you stay. But hear this, I never want to see you again," he said bitterly and turned toward the other elves. "She is not to be hindered as she leaves." The elves nodded and dispersed to pack up camp.  
  
Anna looked back briefly, to Legolas's cold gaze. "I'm sorry," she said. "You will understand someday." With that she turned around and left.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Anna walked for days, making sure that she followed the right course to Edoras, and stayed well ahead of the elves. She felt a large surge of guilt rush through her whenever she thought about Legolas. She knew that somewhere in him, Legolas still held love for her. And how she wished that wasn't true! She was the cause for his cruelty, his distance from everyone. Maybe if she stayed away long enough again, he would forget about her completely.  
  
Her plan was to go to Edoras, since it was the closest city; gather supplies and explain some things to Eomer, after all, he deserved to know the truth; and then head for Gondor.  
  
She walked continuously, breifly pausing for a short time at night, and starting again before dawn the next day. Only when she crested a hill and saw Edoras nestled atop the hill, did she allow herself more time to rest. With the city in sight, she could easily get there if anything came upon her.  
  
When she entered the city, and after a quick chat with the guards, she slipped inconspicuously up to the Golden Hall and went inside intending to find Eomer and ask for assistance before leaving for Gondor. The inside was dark, only lit by a fire in the center of the room.  
  
Eomer was sitting on his throne, talking quietly to someone that appeared to be an advisor. Both men looked up as she approached. They stood and watched her walk slowly toward them. "You're back," Eomer said as she reached the front of the Hall.  
  
She bowed slightly before replying. "Yes, I came to speak with you. But I will be on my way soon enough."  
  
Eomer then turned to the other man. "Please leave us." The man nodded and walked out of the room, through a door off the side of the throne.  
  
He then turned back to Anna and frowned. "I'm sorry," he said and stepped closer to her, "I can not let you leave. A large band of orcs had been seen close to the city. I am not allowing anyone to leave the city at this time."  
  
She looked surpised for a moment before replying, "I have to leave before the elves get here. Please, allow me to get supplies and I shall be on my way."  
  
"The only elven party that has yet to arrive is the party from Mirkwood. The rest are here. They arrived early this morning and are currently resting. King Elessar is to arrive by noon."  
  
"No," she wispered, her eyes wide. Elrohir was here. How could she get away? She had to leave before they saw her.  
  
"Yes. And you shall not leave the city. I can offer you a position as a maid, or perhaps a cook, for the the time beiing, at least until it is safe to travel."  
  
"You don't understand - "  
  
"I understand well enough," he snapped. No one had so blatantly argued with him in all the time he had been King. "Ardanil, you are not the leave the city. You can either work in the kitchens, or stay as an honored guest. I cannot guarantee that you won't be seen put in either position, but you have better chance of going unnoticed if you were to stay on as a cook. Which is your choice?"  
  
Anna sighed, defeated. He was right. If she was a cook, she could stay in the kitchen and hopefully have no one see her. "I shall stay to work," she replied softly.  
  
"Very well," he answered, his voice losing the edge it had only moments before. "No one has cleaned out your room yet, so it should be in the same condition as when you left it. You can start as soon as possible."  
  
"Yes, my lord," she said and bowed slightly again before leaving the room.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Celeborn smiled from his place at the side of the Golden Hall. The rest of his party was resting, but he had a few pressing matters he needed to speak with Eomer about. So he had gone to the throne room in hopes to find Eomer there. When he walked in, he had heard almost all of Anna and Eomer's conversation. 'So she is back,' he thought to himself. "This should prove to be a most interesting visit.'  
  
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A/N: Thank you to all the reviewers for the last chapter, I got 20 reviews! I could hardly believe it! I think that this is the most that I have gotten for one individual chapter so far. I have one quick issue to address. If you must flame my story, at least leave me your pen name and/or the link to a story that you think is good writing so that I can see if it is LAME! Constructive criticism is welcome, and greatly appreciated, but not flames. If you are going to write a flame, then I ask you not to even bother reviewing the story.  
  
I won't have much time to write on the next chapter any because I have to write a screenplay for my Creative Writing class. So the next chapter will probably be Wednesday the 31st, since that will be spring break and I will have a lot more time to write. If I get enough time this week to write, then I might, might post 2 chapters on Wednesday the 31st, but I make no promises.  
  
keiatiai, I hope that my next story will be even better than this one, seeing as how this is my first actual fanfic. I have written a Star Wars one, but that was probably more like a ficlet than an actual fanfic. I strive to make my writing even better with each story that I will write, so I am hoping that my next story will be as good as this one. You have to make sure to check it out whenever I start it!  
  
By the way, I know this chapter is really really really late, but I haven't been able to get my beta reader to read this yet, even though I sent her the chapter on Friday, so I am just going to go ahead and post this. Please excuse any errors in spelling or grammer. 


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters or places from the Lord of the Rings.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 21  
  
Anna trudged wearily down the dim hallways to the kitchen. When it was safe to travel, she would go North, maybe dwell with the Rangers or visit the hobbits, She had always wanted to meet them after she had seen one of them visiting Eomer from time to time. They seemed like very cheerful beings and would be very interesting.  
  
As she rounded the corner that would lead to the kitchens, a small heavy object ran right into her. She leaned against the wall and stopped the heavy object before it fell to the ground. It straightened up and turned out to be a small boy.  
  
"I'm sorry miss," the boy said not looking up at her but instead at his shoes. Anna smiled and instantly wrapped her arms around the young boy's shoulders.  
  
"Kaden, how have you been?" she asked. He looked up into her face and smiled widely.  
  
"Ardanil, you're back! I thought you have left for good!"  
  
"No," she replied, letting go of him and ruffling his hair. "I'm back, at least for a short time, but then I must leave again."  
  
"I wish that you didn't have to," he said and frowned.  
  
Anna smiled softly and said, "Come on." She then led the way to the kitchen.  
  
When she entered, everyone stopped work and looked at her for a moment before returning to the tasks. A woman came forward and held her hands on her hips.  
  
"Well, what around you doing just standing there, go help Franvanil bake today's bread!" Anna nodded and made her way through the maze of people to the back of the large kitchen where Franvanil was mixing the bread dough.  
  
After what seemed like days, but in reality was only a few hours, the servants were called to serve the meal. Anna stayed in the back of the kitchen and hoped that no one saw her. Unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky. The head of staff, Larulene, walked up to her and glared. "What are you doing?"  
  
She stood confused for a moment before replying. "I am staying here in the kitchen while you serve."  
  
"And what gave you that idea?" the woman asked icily.  
  
"I was given permission by - "  
  
"I am the only one who can give you permission," the woman sneered. "We have many extra guests now and need all the servers we can get." The woman shoved a plate into Anna's hands and pushed her toward the door.  
  
"You don't understand. I can't go up there," Anna replied, pausing in the doorway.  
  
"You can, and you will. Now GO!"  
  
Anna turned slowly and walked down the corridor to the main eating hall. She seemed very calm on the outside, but on the inside her stomach was in knots. Would they see her? And if they did, would they recognize her at all? Maybe if she served quickly and retreated into the shadows, she could hide herself and not risk upsetting Larulene. The guards weren't always the nicest people, and if anyone neglected their duties it wasn't uncommon for them to be beaten.  
  
Soon the large door to the dining hall came into view and Anna slowed down before she went into the room. She stood there for a moment and took a deep breath, made sure the scarf on her head covered her ears and went into the room.  
  
A large fire roared in the enormous fireplace across the room. The room was bare except for the fireplace and a long wooden table situated in the middle of the room. She lowered her head and followed the other servants to the back of the room where they could come quickly if called.  
  
From the back of the room, Anna had a perfect view of the occupants of the table. Farther from the fire were the soldiers of the elven kingdoms. The closest person to the fire was Eomer, and then the seats surrounding him were filled with the rulers of the kingdoms. Her breath caught in her throat as she laid eyes on Elrohir.  
  
He looked the same, but he gave off a more powerful vibe than he did years ago, although that was hardly unexpected since he had taken a considerable amount of weight on his shoulders after his father had left. Suddenly she felt someone starting at her and she looked around the table before locking eyes with Haldir. He was sitting in the middle of the table between Celeborn and the soldiers.  
  
His lips curved into a soft smile and he nodded his head slightly to her. So had he forgiven her since he stormed out the last time he had seen her?  
  
Eomer must have noticed Haldir's gaze, because he also turned to look at her and nodded his head as well. Even though she was a servant she was also Elrohir's wife and he still gave her much of the proper respect her status deserved.  
  
Anna bowed her head and looked at the floor, wishing they would stop looking at her as not to draw the attention of the others. When she looked back up, both were joining in on a discussion with Celeborn, but she knew Haldir was still watching her out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Eomer held his hand up and motioned for the servants to come forward with the food. She rushed toward the table quickly, hoping to serve the soldiers and not the head of the table. Cursing inwardly, she noticed the rest of the servants had distributed themselves evenly throughout the table, except for the head. They were all scared to be near the elves. Most of the servants had never seen an elf before, but only heard stories about them, the most widespread was the one of the elves coming to Helm's Deep in Rohan's more dire need.  
  
So that left Anna as the one to serve the head of the table. Her legs felt like lead as she slowly walked toward the other end of the hall. As she neared the table, she let out a quick sigh of relief that nobody noticed her arrival.  
  
Her pace quickened and she stopped by Eomer. She laid down the platter in her hands and turned to go. Before she could leave, however, a hand grabbed her wrist. "Wait," the voice said. Anna closed her eyes, not wanting to turn and look into the face of the person holding her wrist.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A/N: Well, what did you think? I want to apologize for not getting this out on Wednesday as promised. It's just that I've have a major lack of inspiration lately, but fear not, I will not give this story up. Especially since it's so close to the end! There are around 3 or 4 more chapters after this and then it will be finished. I have the next chapter written, but I won't give you a date to when I shall post it, since I haven't been very good at keeping with those ;) 


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters, place, or event from the Lord of the Rings.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Cold Heart Chapter 22  
  
Her pace quickened and she stopped by Eomer. She laid down the platter in her hands and turned to go. Before she could leave, however, a hand grabbed  
her wrist. "Wait," the voice said. Anna closed her eyes, not wanting to  
turn and look into the face of the person holding her wrist.  
  
"Yes, my lord?" Anna whispered with her eyes still closed. Elrohir still held her wrist and she hoped that he didn't realize it was her.  
  
"Bring me some water," he said and let go of her wrist. She nodded and almost ran out of the hall and down to the kitchen. She pulled a glass from a tall cabinet at the end of the kitchen and dipped it in the water bucket. That was when she noticed her wrist shaking and she sat the glass down on a nearby stool. She ran her hand over her face and took a quivering breath.  
  
He hadn't recognized her, and that was a good thing. But what about when she went back? Elrohir would surely recognize her then. Would he be as upset as Legolas was, or less? He might be even more upset, since she was his wife and he had thought her dead, only to find out she was still alive, only to have her leave him again.  
  
Anna angrily picked up the glass of water. Why was she worrying about this? All she would have to do would be to give him his water and escape as soon as possible.  
  
She had reached the servant's doors to the hall when she stopped again as another thought came to her. Haldir knew she was here; would he tell Elrohir? And what about Elladan or Aragorn - if they recognized her, would they tell as well? She groaned out loud. And what about Legolas? He knew what she looked like now and he would tell Elrohir that he had run into her on the way to Edoras. Hopefully Legolas wouldn't get there for a couple of days and that would give her enough time to leave. After all, he was hurt and she had made sure to stay at least a day and a half ahead of them. Surely it would be a few days before they arrived.  
  
The door to the hall opened and a very angry Larulene came through. She glared at Anna before saying, "You had better get in there. Lord Elrohir is still waiting for his water!" Anna walked quickly through the door and to the table. She approached the head of the table and as quickly as possible sat the glass down on the table. She turned to leave when her arm must have hit the glass. It teetered on the edge of the table for the moment before slipping off and sending water all over Elrohir.  
  
The whole hall had gotten quiet. Everyone was looking in shock at Anna for doing such a thing and Elrohir, seeing what he would do. Anna's mind froze. Her brain completely locked down and she could only think of one thing to do. She ran.  
  
When Anna reached the door she flung it open and flew down the stairs. She raced through the kitchen and out of the servant's entrance at the back of Meduseld. Her breath came in short gasps, not because she had been running fast, but her brain had finally started working and she realized what she had done.  
  
Not only had she knocked a glass of water onto Elrohir, but she hadn't even apologized, and had run away instead. She looked up at the dark sky and gazed at the starts. "What have I done?" she said out loud. The stars winked at her, almost as though they were telling her that everything would work out for the best.  
  
Anna sighed and was about to go and face her punishment before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She held her breath and didn't turn around to see who it was, but instead waited for them to speak.  
  
"He's not that upset, you know," Haldir said, his voice sounding loud through the empty courtyard. "You didn't need to run."  
  
"It seems that's the only thing I'm good at, isn't it? Running?" she asked bitterly.  
  
"You do seem to do quite a bit of it, but I'm hoping that you won't do it anymore." He squeezed her shoulder and let go.  
  
She turned around and looked at his face. He still looked the same, but held a new light in his eyes. "I don't plan on doing it but once more if necessary - only if Elrohir or Legolas recognizes me. Although I have already seen Legolas when I left before."  
  
He looked puzzled. "You've seen Legolas?"  
  
"Yes," Anna said and walked over to the stairs and sat down on the bottom. Haldir came and sat next to her. "I left again when I found out about all the rulers of the elven realms were coming here. He found me, but didn't realize it was me until orcs attacked us and he saw my fighting skills, not to mention Elrohir's sword. He let me leave, but didn't want to see me again."  
  
Haldir frowned and asked, "Did you notice the change?'  
  
"Unfortunately, yes," she replied, "and it's all my fault. He is cruel and cold hearted because I left him."  
  
"Why did you leave so suddenly?" Haldir asked, his voice gaining an edge. Apparently he was still angry about her not telling him before.  
  
"It's for a far more nobler reason than everyone seems to think. I left because - " she said, but was cut off by the servant's door opening. Franvanil stepped out and looked around before noticing her sitting on the steps with Haldir. She rushed over and stood in front of Anna.  
  
"You have better get in there. Larulene is waiting for you and she's not happy," Franvanil said breathlessly. Anna nodded and watched her hurry back into the Golden Hall.  
  
Anna looked at Haldir and smiled sadly. "Wish me luck. This won't be very good."  
  
Haldir returned her smile and replied, "Good luck. I'll try to speak with you later."  
  
She stood up and walked slowly to the door before pulling it open and going into the building. The hallways were as dimly lit as earlier in the day because there were few windows in the Golden Hall. She took the longest route she could; hopefully the longer she took the less her punishment would be. If she waited a bit, Larulene would have calmed down.  
  
The sounds of the other servants talking excitedly informed Anna that she was nearing the kitchen. When she walked in, the voices stopped and everyone looked at her in awe. Most people wouldn't have knocked a glass of water onto an elf lord, and even fewer would have run.  
  
"Everyone, out!" Larulene shouted. "Except you," she said, pointing at Anna. The rest of the servants rushed out of the room, some sending her sympathetic looks, some laughing.  
  
When everyone was out of the kitchen Larulene turned to Anna. "Do you realize what you have done?"  
  
"Yes, and I'm very sorry. It won't happen again," Anna replied.  
  
"It had better not," Larulene said, and pinched her lips together. "Lord Elrohir wasn't too angry, so your punishment won't be . . . painful. But you will be washing all of these dishes from dinner by yourself. They are expected to be clean by the morn." She turned and stalked out of the room.  
  
Anna turned disdainfully and looked at the large stacks of dishes. It usually took five people to wash them and that took at least a few hours. She walked to the tubs of water and sighed. Maybe it was time to get started.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A/N: So what did you think? I hope that you liked this chapter, the next one is going to be really interesting. I now have the rest of the story written, all I have to do is type it up. So they should be out soon. Namarie! 


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I own no recognizable characters, places, or events from the Lord of the Rings.

Cold Heart

Chapter 23

         Anna was elbow deep in scalding soapy water when she heard soft footsteps coming up behind her. She could tell that they were obviously light elven feet, so she turned around and smiled, fully expecting to see Haldir returning her smile. But what she saw instead made the smile dissolve from her face. 

         Elrohir stood solemnly a few feet behind her, his hands behind his back. Instead of the dark, rich robes he had been wearing before at dinner were replaced with leggings and a loose tunic. His hair, which had been woven in intricate braids around his head, was now hanging down, framing his face.

         He stepped closer, his solemn face never changing. "So this is where you have been hiding," he said flatly, as though he was unconcerned, but Anna knew better. His eyes were narrowed and dark, suppressed anger flaring. 

         "I haven't been hiding," she replied, matching his tone. It was useless to keep up the guise of a servant girl of Edoras if he already recognized her. She had tried lying to Legolas and it hadn't worked, so why try with Elrohir. "You could have found me at anytime."

         "Really?" Elrohir asked, raising an eyebrow.

         "Yes. Did you even look for me?," Anna replied, turning back to the dishes.

         "I sent scouts out to look for you, but I never thought you would be here-," he gestured around the kitchen even though Anna couldn't see him, "-working as some lowly servant in the bowels of _this_ place."

         Anna whirled around, soapy water flying all over the floor, though none of the currents occupants of the room noticed. "I left for good reasons," she hissed.

         "Then what were they?' he asked harshly, taking a few steps closer to Anna. She stepped back and moved away from him, picking up a stack of plates and moved to the other side of the kitchen, carefully placing them one by one on the shelf.

         "It doesn't matter why I left. All that matters is that I left, and nothing you can do can change that, and nothing you can say can make me come back," she replied, her back still turned to him.

         He took large steps over to her, grabbing her arm and turning her around to face him. He shoved her backward so her back was pressing against the shelves. Anna looked up at him with wide eyes as he leaned so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face. "We'll have to see about that won't we?" he whispered.

         Anna was about to speak when a voice from the door interrupted. "So you did go back to him," the voice sneered. She looked over Elrohir's shoulder and saw a fuming Legolas standing there.

         "No, Legolas, you don't understand-" she tried to say but was cut off by Elrohir putting his mouth over hers and kissing her deeply. He then wrapped an arm tightly around her waist and turned around to face Legolas with a smirk on his face.

         "Why, King Legolas, its nice to see you again," Elrohir said, that same smirk still stuck on his face.

         Legolas glared at him but turned his attention to Anna. "You told me you weren't going back to him. You lied."

         "I didn't lie!" Anna cried and shoved Elrohir away from her. "I was on my way to Gondor but I had to stop here to get supplied. King Eomer informed me that I couldn't leave because of increased orc activity in the area.'

         "What are you talking about?" Elrohir demanded.

         "I ran into Anna when she was leaving here. She said that she wasn't going back to you, but apparently she lied."

         "What's wrong with going back to me? Did you ever think that the elf I am _bound_ to might want to see me again?"

         "Not if she has been hiding 10 years to stay away from you!"

         Anna stared wide-eyes at the two quarrelling elves. Did they even remember she was there, or were they just fighting to throw insults at each other? She swallowed a lump that was slowly forming in her throat. She closed her eyes and realized that they hated each other. They were probably best friends, and then she came along and they now despised each other. But maybe they had always hated each other because they were from different kingdoms?

         She clenched her hands into fists at her side as a swell of anger rushed through her. It didn't matter if they had been friends or always disliked each other. She didn't want to be the cause of it. "Stop!" she said loudly.

         The elves that had previously been yelling at each other looked silently over at her. They each had anger flaring in their eyes, but at least it was still directed at each other.

         "Will you stop bickering? I want neither of you, so there is no use fighting over me. I will not go to either of you," she said with feeling, shoving her way past them and out into the hallway. There she ran, blindly racing through the corridors, not having any idea where she was going. The only thought in thought in her mind was to get away from Legolas and Elrohir.

         She stopped running when she came to the front doors. Her trembling hand pushed then open and she breathed in deeply the night air. Slowly she waked down the steps and to the stables. The only thing that would clear her head was to be among the horses again. Helping in the kitchen was something that didn't help her already frayed nerves.

         The smell of fresh straw greeted her as Anna came through the door and crept silently down the long row of stalls as to not disturb the sleeping horses. She came to the middle of the stalls and quietly opened the wooden door. The large brown mare trotted out and stood in front of her patiently.

         "Hello Morlith. Did you miss me?" the horse brought its head down and nudged Anna in the shoulder. She laughed and said, "Alright, I'll brush you. But only because I need to stay away from there as long as possible." She took the brush down from its hook on the wall and started running it over Morlith's side and back. "You know," Anna said, "You are the only one who would actually listen to what I have to say. Legolas and Elrohir treat me as though I am an object, something that they can possess."

         "They shouldn't think that way, yet they are young and have recently gained more power when their fathers left. They are lords and kings, therefore they are used to getting what they want. They can't have you, and that makes you all the more desirable," a new voice said. Anna spun around and was about to tell whomever it was to leave her alone, but the person standing before her was none other than Celeborn.

         "Good evening, my lord," she said quickly, surprise and embarrassment slowly making her cheeks red. She had never met him before, save for their short introduction many years ago in Rivendell. Anna had never actually spoken to him.

         "You want to get away, do you not? Away from my grandson and the King of Mirkwood?" All she could do was nod her head. "There is a way you can get away from them. Are you willing to make a huge sacrifice?" Anna nodded mutely again. "Then I know a way that you can."

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late. I have had a lot of school work and just haven't had the time to type it up. The next chapter should be out soon, along with the epilogue. I hoped that you liked this chapter. Let me know what you thought!


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters, places, or events from the Lord of the Rings.

A/N: I figured that I would put the author's note for this chapter at the top so that you can go ahead and read the epilogue after this. The only thing I have to ask is….PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!

Cold Heart

Chapter 24

Haldir sighed as he sunk lower into the steaming water. It was very late at night, which was the best time to take a bath. Everyone was already in bed, so there was the least possible chance that he would be disturbed. He needed to be by himself to think, and this was the most secluded place he had found.

He thought of his time here so far, and all that had happened. Anna, it turned out, had stayed in Edoras. He had fully expected her to leave before; maybe travel to Gondor and explore Ithilien, or maybe even go to the Shire. But she had surprised him by staying, and as a servant nonetheless.

Her presence here had surely shaken up the whole foundation everyone had made without her in their lives. The elves were probably the only people that she knew; yet she kept running away from them. Why did she wish to stay so secluded? There were people that could help her become who she was before, yet she was too preoccupied with herself to notice anyone else around her. She didn't seem to care what she did to other's lives as long as hers was the way she wanted it.

Everyone felt drawn to her, yet she pushed them all away. And instead of sorting out her problems, she just ran away and left them for others to solve.

Haldir sighed again and slipped out of the tub, quickly dressing and following the long corridors to the outside. The next morning was when the negotiations would start and the resigning of treaties. He needed to have a clear head, and he knew the perfect thing that would clear it.

As silently as possible he slipped out of the large front doors and crept along the shadows. He just wanted to be alone and didn't need the guards to bother him. The stables came into view and Haldir went through the open doors down the row of stalls to where his horse was standing quietly.

He opened the door and whistled softly. The horse came out and stood, waiting for its owner to mount. Haldir obliged by vaulting easily off the ground and nudging it foreword. The horse walked through the stable and to a small guard gate that lay on the far wall of Edoras. This gate was used so that guards and soldiers could easily enter and exit the city without bothering the gate openers all the time.

The gate when he arrived however was already open. Curious, Haldir climbed from his horse and cautiously made his way to the one figure that was standing with his back to him. He relaxed profusely when he realized who it was.

Celeborn stood just inside the gates, staring out at the mountains. Haldir approached him quietly, so as not to disturb him, even though Celeborn already knew he was there. He stopped beside Celeborn and studied the scene before him as well. The mountain's jagged peaks rose over the horizon. Stars hung in the black velvet sky, and a full moon sat above their heads.

"What are you doing out here, my lord?" Haldir asked. "It will soon be morning and the renegotiations will start in a few hours."

Celeborn smiled and turned to Haldir. "I was admiring the view. It is not often that I get a chance to do that."

"With these dark times over, we shall have more of a chance to do that." Haldir replied, returning the smile. 

They stood for a while longer, enjoying the peace and serenity of the place around them, until a large stomp broke the silence. Haldir turned to see his horse standing impatiently, waiting for Haldir. He suddenly realized that he had come out to ride along the plains surrounding Edoras. Even though the city was practically locked down, he was still able to come and go as he pleased, as were all the other visitors.

But Haldir decided to return to Meduseld and get at least a few hours rest before the long, tiresome, and more than likely boring discussions, were going to take place. He bid goodnight to Celeborn and walked his horse back to the stables. "I am sorry," he said to his horse while rubbing it's head," maybe tomorrow." The horse shook its head, as though nodding, and turned to the back of the stall.

Haldir smiled and wandered slowly back up to his room. Even though he knew sleep would be a good thing, it wouldn't come very easy.

* * * 

Legolas winced as the healer applied a type of antiseptic on his wounded stomach. He had come into Edoras deciding to ride ahead and get his injury looked at. The guards at the gate gave him directions, but he had gotten lost. Somehow he had ended up in the kitchen and seen Elrohir pressing Anna up against the shelf. The only thought that went through his mind was that Anna had actually gone back to Elrohir even though she had said that she wouldn't. He had jumped to conclusions and she had run out. He then went to the healer's and was currently getting his wound seen to.

"Alright. I've stitched up the wound, and I would prefer if you stayed here in a private room where I can monitor you healing progress," the healer said, putting her tools away.

"I would rather not," he replied and tried to stand up. But apparently the adrenaline that was running through his body when he was yelling at Elrohir had drained out of his system and he was exhausted. He fell back on the cot and took a deep breath.

"Elf-king or not, apparently you need to stay here for at least the rest of the night and sleep until mid-day," the healer said stiffly, obviously offended by Legolas wanting to leave.

"But the meeting is to take place right after breakfast!" Legolas complained, trying to get up again.

The healer rolled her eyes and pushed Legolas back onto the cot. "Sleep. I shall speak with King Eomer," she said. As she was about to leave the room, a messenger rushed in, followed by Elrohir, Elladan, Haldir, and Celeborn. Legolas looked at everyone in surprise.

"We have received a message for all of us and it was bid that we all be together when it is read. Since you were wounded we decided to come in here instead of having you come to us," Celeborn explained. Legolas merely nodded. The messenger handed the message to Celeborn before bowing hastily and leaving.

Celeborn broke the seal and said, "It's from Anna." All the elves in the room quickly drew their attention to Celeborn. He cleared his throat and started reading:

**__**

To everyone,

By the time you are reading this, I will be gone. Yes, I ran again. I know that I promised that I wouldn't, but I had to. And I cannot come back.

Some things happened in the past and I regret that they happened. I am very fortunate to have met all of you, even if it was under less then wonderful circumstances.

There are a few things I wish to explain; firstly to Haldir. I know that you still love me, even after all these years. If you hadn't stormed out 10 years ago, I might have been able to get to know you better. I do not blame you for being angry, because I realize how selfish I was being by leaving everyone to deal with my problems.

Legolas and Elrohir, I need to tell you something. I love you both equally and that is why I couldn't choose between you. Though there is another reason, a nobler reason, though I fear it happened even in my absence. I knew that the two of you would eventually become leaders of your kingdoms. If I chose one of you, the other would resent my decision and tension would build between Rivendell and Mirkwood. Evil still roams through the free lands, and the elven kingdoms may yet need to unite to defeat it. Nothing need come between the two, and I knew that my presence would do that very thing. That is why I left Rivendell all those years ago and why I leave now.

I guess I owe you an explanation as to where I am. By the time you are reading this, I shall be crossing to the Valinor on the last ship to leave Middle-Earth. Please do not try to follow me; this was my only choice in the matter. Don't hate me for what I have done; I was coming between everyone and I could not allow it to continue. I love you all and will miss you dearly. And just so you know, I am not truly happy, though I wish I could sail to the shores with a light heart.

With Love, 

Anna


	25. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I own no recognizable characters, places, or events from the Lord of the Rings.

Cold Heart

Epilogue

She stared at the large ship coming toward her. Its sails were open and the breeze was pushing it closer to the shore. Anna looked at the sparkling water that surrounded the ship, seemingly casting a protective aura over it.

            As the ship grew even closer, she smiled at the sounds from the other elves around her. They too, apparently, had decided that they were growing weary of Middle-Earth. Most knew they would probably never return, but that left them unfazed. The call of the sea was yet stronger to them than that of the land.

            The ship docked and everyone slowly went up the ramp and over the ship's deck before descending a staircase into the hull of the ship.

            Anna was the last one to board, but she, however, stayed on the deck. Ciridan came up the plank, smiling at her and following the others below the deck. The ship started moving slowly away from the large wooden dock.

            She looked back at the city that would be the last part of Middle-Earth she saw. The stone gleamed in the rising sun, its smooth surface sending a light glow over the whole city.

            There were very few elves left in Middle-Earth, and she hoped they would enjoy the rest of eternity living among men, for it was truly a new age and the age of Men.

            The ship rocked gently in the water and she turned away from what had once been her home. The home she couldn't remember, the home that for the last 10 years had caused her pain, the home she could never go back to.

            Hopefully Legolas and Elrohir wouldn't be angry with her for leaving them again. It had been Celeborn's idea after all. He had told her of the last ship that was leaving, and that looked like her best option. He was the one that had told the guards to let her out, seeing as how they wouldn't have let a lowly servant leave if the city was locked in. She had left Elrohir's sword on her bed along with a short note leaving instruction to return it to Arwen, seeing as how it had been her gift from her brother in the first place.

            She went down the steps and paused in the middle. She looked out at the land once more. Her heart felt sad and glad at the same time, and there was only one reason for both emotions. This was the last time she would look upon Middle-Earth.

THE END

A/N: **IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE, PLEASE READ ALL OF IT!** Well, its over. I hope that you enjoyed it and like my writing. I know this was short, but I needed to have to best ending that I could, and it just so happened that came in half the writing a normal chapter would take.

I would like to say a quick thank-you to my beta aragorns-gurl33, my friends Karen Rhine and Eowyn from Naboo for always helping me with the story when I hit writer's block, and also ELK, Aarien Star, dragonfly, Hillary, Brazgirl, Melia, Lady Light, Raven Elendil Black, Shining Star of Valinor, and last but not least Reindeer. There people have been avid readers since the beginning and I really appreciate all you support. If I forgot anyone then I thank you as well. (It's midnight and I can't remember everyone off the top of my head)

I will be putting my new story up at the beginning of June, but if you would like me to e-mail you and let you know when I post the first chapter, then leave your e-mail address in you review or you can e-mail me at rogue_elf111@yahoo.com to let me know. And not, here is the summary of my upcoming story.

            An elf has done many terrible things in her past working for Saruman. She decided to repent for her sins by working as a healer in Caras Galadhon hoping to save lives instead of taking them. All she wants to do is leave the past behind her, but will an inquisitive Marchwarden cause her newfound world to come crashing down? And when she is forced to make a decision, will she convert back to her old ways and save the only person who ever cared about her or refuse and live with the guilt of their death?

This story will be a lot darker than this one, but I hope that you will still enjoy it. Again, I'm so glad that you all liked this story and I hope that you check out the upcoming one.

Also, I was thinking about writing a sequel to this story after im finished with my upcoming fic. If you think this is a good idea and would like to see a sequel, then let me know in your review or e-mail.

Namarie!

Kristen


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